Nadia Fall/ UK/ 2025/ 93 mind

Despite its title, Brides isn’t a story about two British Asian girls surviving life after joining ISIS. Instead, it’s a look at why two British teens might be motivated to make that decision in the first place; at what could possibly drive them from the only homes they’ve known towards such a radically different existence. It is, as the film makers have explained, an attempt to give a voice to the girls who choose to do this, vilified in the media but rarely given a chance to speak for themselves. It’s also a funny and moving story of intense teenage friendship.

Doe and Muna face racist attacks at school and domestic violence at home. Their white peers don’t understand their Muslim faith; their families don’t seem to want to live by it any longer. Then there’s the lure of the online world. After Muna is expelled from school, they decide to fly to Türkiye and cross the border to Syria on foot. To a place where they believe they’ll have a better life, and where somebody will actually want them around.

Most of the film takes place in Türkiye and it will do the tourism industry no harm. The architecture is stunning, the food vivid, and the locals Doe and Muna interact incredibly generous. In this way, and in the way the girls stand by each other despite their inevitable spats, it’s a narrative brimming over with beauty, kindness, and warmth despite the heavy premise.

The story cuts back and forth between the girls’ physical journey of the present and those incidents at home that drove them to leave. The drama derives from the continual question as to whether they will make it over the border. This places the audience in the position of routing for the protagonists and at the same time, hoping always that they’ll change their minds. In this way the film makers enable us to sympathise without ever glorifying the issue of underage girls selling themselves to terrorists. The characters are never patronised in their depiction. Their constant doubt and temptation to turn back is frequently touched on, presenting a believable picture of them being equally torn between loved ones left behind and the desire for what they believe will be a better future.

Both stars display an incredible on-screen presence: Ebada Hassan’ as Doe is subtle and endearing; Safiyya Ingar as Muna is loveable, fiercely in your face, and heartbreakingly determined. Together, they have a chemistry which brings the story alive. If we don’t see a lot more of these women on screen in the future, then something has gone very wrong.

If you’re looking for a gritty docu-style drama, avoid. However, if you appreciate an insightful and charming character study you will love this film.

Screened as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival and in cinemas Fri 25 Sep 2025