Arranged

A gentle story about volatile topics, Arranged revolves around a friendship between two young teachers—one a Muslim, one an Orthodox Jew—who meet at a racially and culturally diverse Brooklyn grade school. Nasira (Benhamou) and Rochel (Lister Jones) are witty, educated women who choose to live modern American lives within the traditions of their respective faiths, which include arranged marriages. Their mutual devotion is a buffer against the incomprehension of secular Americans, but their camaraderie creates gossip within their communities and tests the bounds of their families' tolerance. The message isn't subtle and some supporting characters verge on ethnic stereotype, but the performances by Benhamou and Lister Jones are sweetly affecting.