Roro (Fares Fares), who’s Lebanese-Swedish, is dating a girl (Tuva Novotny) he knows his family won’t approve of… which is why he agrees to pretend like he’s going to marry another girl (Laleh Pourkarim) who also needs a cover. The director’s first feature film shows him weaving his Beirut background into a fast-moving comedy about young men and women trying to avoid the darkest aspects of their culture. Love and humor arise from culture clashes, sometimes in a little too silly and childish way, but that’s to be expected from a young filmmaker having fun. Appealing performances by the three leads in a crazy movie that also turns into a commentary on delicate (and dumb) masculinity.
2000-Sweden. 92 min. Color. Produced by Anna Anthony. Written and directed by Josef Fares. Music, Song: Daniel Lemma (”If I Used to Love You”). Cast: Fares Fares (Roro), Torkel Petersson (Måns), Tuva Novotny (Lisa), Laleh Pourkarim, Leonard Terfelt, Sofi Ahlström-Helleday.
Trivia: Shown in Australia as The Best Man’s Wedding.
