Curl up to a sweet new romance
Honeymoonish gives us a glimpse into Kuwaiti culture and dishes beautiful visuals of Istanbul while providing some much-needed charm. By
Iam not a fan of voice-overs but somehow this Kuwaiti film, directed by Elie Semaan and written by Eiad Saleh, makes it work. Honeymoonish’s storyline is effortlessly entertaining – it’s a romcom after all. Come on, let me entice you to watch it because you might just love a romantic story about two totally different characters desperate to wed.
Conservative businessperson Hamad (Mahmoud Boushahri), who works for his father, is trying to seal a deal with a German company while also starting a business of his own. But his father has some outlandish demands. He orders Hamad to marry and also to conceive a baby within a month, or he’ll scrap the German deal and deny his son his inheritance. Having been married four times already, Hamad’s father believes this task is easy. Hamad is desperate.
Then we meet a heartbroken trainer, Noor (Nour Al Ghandour), who has just found out that the love of her life lied about going on a work trip. He has been living a double life and is actually newly married to his cousin – who also happens to be
Noor’s old high school friend.
After she finds out, Noor makes it her mission to find a man of her own to marry within 24 hours to make her ex-lover,
Yousseff, jealous.
Whaddaya think is going to happen?! Mutual friends get the two of them together and they quickly marry.
Then Noor finds out where Yousseff is enjoying his honeymoon and suggests that she and her new husband travel to Istanbul so that her ex can see her living her best married life. When they get to their destination, Hamad is obsessed with the idea of consummating the marriage and fulfilling his father’s wishes of conceiving, but news that Noor might be his sister blocks the relationship. Oh, no, not incest!
After both of their secrets spill out, the relationship – if you can call a two-day tryst that – is on the rocks. Will they manage to get their happily-ever-afters?
The plot of this film had me in
stitches. The wit is a bit clichéd, but the storyline revives the whole affair. Both the lead actors played their roles well. The bickering of newlyweds who barely know each other is a great touch. From living alone to having to deal with a hard-headed lifelong partner, we watch the two learning to coexist. The gradual transition from strangers to lovers is really charming, especially when witnessing the emotional attachment growing from both sides.
I was excited by how the film explored intimacy without getting physical – something Netflix and American romcoms often rely on. Honeymoonish finds ways to convey emotions and intimacy through dialogue that is perfectly understandable. Although this is a romance, the film also highlights a journey of self-discovery for both characters that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Viewers can expect to get a glimpse of the beautiful Kuwaiti culture and incomparable visuals of Istanbul, which include tiny cafes and busy markets, a true cinematic treat.
Honeymoonish has all the elements of most romcoms, but its exploration of cultures and different, difficult personalities in love is what sets it apart. The film is trending on Netflix now. I give it four out of
five stars.