Long Live the Bride… and the Liberation of Kurdistan

A salutary cautionary tale of sexual inequality and disrespect among the exiled Kurdish community in Paris. A gregarious patriot, but unrecognised chauvinist, Cheto (Corraface) has a sympathetic French girlfriend Christine, but presumably wants authentic Kurdish babies, which is why we first meet him selecting the tastiest girls from a video catalogue of homeland brides behind Christine's back. The joke's on him, however, when the girl despatched turns out to be his intended's meeker elder sister Mina (Kobakhidze), and sure enough, he doesn't treat her right. Charting both parties' learning curves, the film is straightforward enough as a moral story. It also has a bustling sense of community and a wry eye for expat self-regulatory ways that suggest first time director Hiner Saleem speaks from experience.