Brides

Excellent film. Characters well developed. Visually, a beautiful film: from the sky and the sea of the Greek islands to the smallest detail of the wedding dresses of the brides from many different places. The sexual tension builds between the two main characters in a believable way as they carefully develop their relationship, respectful of each other and ever aware of the invisible boundaries that separate them. The film is imagined from a true historical event which lends poignancy to the plot. It gives great insight into Greek culture on things such as life on the Greek islands at that time in history and the importance of family honor in Greek families. It also addresses issues that we struggle with in our modern world. I hope you will be able to see it. It's well worth the time invested.

The 2005 Greek Film Festival has come to Canberra, and this movie was the biggest attraction. Wow! What a film! A touching yet subtle story of love, longing and desire. The tragedy of the situation of these mail-order brides, lost without a connection to their homeland, without money, family or hope for the future. This was a beautifully shot and acted film. The director Pantelis Voulgaris should be congratulated. Damian Lewis has never been stronger, a gorgeous leading man, who gives his character Norman, such a natural on screen presence, that there appears to be nothing artificial about him. Niki is a fine leading female character, strong, resolute, yet naturally human and weak. The love story, not just amongst the principles simmered and grew, the sexual tension not forced or faked. Wonderful.

One of those "if all movies were made like this" films. Kudos to all involved. A real-life story of passionate love. Bravo.

Every time I watch Nyfes, I think of many of my older relatives, my mom included, who emigrated to Canada in the 1940s and 1950s under very similar circumstances. The scenes shot in Greece are especially breath-taking. Voulgaris made me think how ironic it was that people were forced to leave such a beautiful, but poverty-stricken country. Damian Lewis is excellent as the hopeless romantic while Victoria Haralabidou, as Niki Douka, manages to convey the fatalistic acceptance her character must have been feeling. These two performers develop one of the best examples of culture clash in a movie. Martin Scorcese is one of the producers of this movie, and I don't think he would ever let himself be associated with something which is not artistically sound. As for Voulgaris, he has done an excellent job.

Sad, beautiful, subtle, it is a strange poem about limits of love and shadows of duty. A film about sacrifice and emotions of worlds and searches. A picture of the last century, very old, small, paper cry. The people and their desire. Confuse, heavy, cold. Signs of resignation and pieces of innocent beauty. Splendid images and a delicate emotion as nimbus of confession. A parable of lost smile. Some women and a photographer. And a long travel to America. A new world, a new life and a love without bones. A Greek story. Or a story of every day in a land of nobody. It is not important. The pain, the dreams, the illusions are the same. The faces and looks are pieces of a huge game of existences, hopes and emotions. So, a sad, beautiful, subtle movie.

I have to present my respect to producers of Brides those are come from my neighbor country for this excellent movie. This movie,stands as a statue of excellency next to bullshits of Hollywood. Greaks teach to world how a romance movie is made. You can see neither voluptuous sexuality nor meaningless and artificial "love". Real life stories of real and "ordinary" seven hundreds brides who were ordered by mail, and real LOVE Norman and Niki. The question of "why a this kind of movie can not attract of attention of many of people", should be asked by every real cinema fan to him/herself. Common, leave bullshits of Hollywood, turn your faces and "brains" to real movies and world cinema. Break and destroy hegemony of American "junk culture" which effects every millimeter of life