Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Romance about star-crossed lovers has some violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Layla Majnun
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
We learn early in LAYLA MAJNUN that it's not unusual for an Indonesian girl who's in love with one man to commit suicide if her family forces an arranged a marriage to another. Against that cultural setting we meet Layla (Acha Septrias), named for the doomed character of a legendary poem referenced in the title, a bright and dedicated teacher, writer, and academic. She and her mother are beholden to a cruel and hard-drinking uncle, who took them in and paid her dead father's debts. Now he wants her to marry Ibnun (Baim Wong), the domineering son of a wealthy and powerful man. She realizes a lifelong dream to travel when she accepts a temporary lecturer position in Azerbaijan. Then, fearing consequences for her mother if she doesn't accept the proposal, Layla agrees to marry Ibnun, but only after her trip to Azerbaijan. Life is freer in Azerbaijan, where a graduate student named Samir (Reza Rahadian) has been touting her book and lobbying to bring her to his university to teach. He's soulful, romantic, and gentle, everything that Ibnun is not, and although Layla resists Samir's advances mightily out of duty to her mother and the promise she made, she falls for him hard. Ibnun gets wind of the rival. Who will Layla marry?
Is It Any Good?
Fans of romantic movies will find much to enjoy here. Two riveting lead actors, Rahadian and Septrias, draw the audience into their world so fully that even in fantasy scenes portraying the two as star-crossed lovers from a 12th century fiction, our connection with them and their plight never wavers. Layla Majnun is a sweeping romance that feels contemporary and also timeless. Stunning capital city Baku is a character in this drama, skillfully depicted by director Monty Tiwa. He uses its beauty and dignity, its age and modernity, to help the audience understand a different culture but also to underscore the universality of love.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that arranged marriage is depicted here. When Layla suggests to her uncle that she has a choice about who she wants to marry, do you think that's really true? Why or why not?
How do you think cultures that impose arranged marriages benefit from the practice? Do you think the practice is a way to control family wealth, or improve someone's financial and social status by marrying up?
What do you think are some downsides of arranged marriage?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : February 11, 2021
- Cast : Reza Rahadian , Acha Septriasa , Baim Wong
- Director : Monty Tiwa
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Romance
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 17, 2021
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