Director: Pantelis Voulgaris

Cast: Damian Lewis, Victoria Haralabidou

Rating:

Mail-Order-Bride is a term that I was first introduced to in that movie. During the war back in 1920’s, men where emigrating from their home countries or joining the army to fight leaving women without husbands to marry. There the idea came about where abroad men would send their pictures to choose a bride to be ordered to them. Such a trade, if a may say, gained acceptance especially among the poor who considered the daughter as a burden back then. However, it had as well its own rules as accepting or rejecting the groom can directly affect the family’s reputation, and that older women had to go first, and that such business was managed by certain people, mainly from a higher and much corrupt status.

The movie is set in Greece during the Greek-Russian war and trade was made between immigrants living in the states and the women from their home countries. Poverty and despair were a common state among the brides; being forced to leave their countries and thrown into the unknown leaving all what they have ever loved and cared for behind for their families’ sake.

The movie focuses on one girl’s story, Nikki, and her struggle to keep faith and look forward in a dark spotted future. Strong, proud, and burdened… she leaves Greece and head on King Alexander’s ship to NewYork to marry the man her sister ranaway from where another desperate being spots the same vain through her eyes… that is Norman, a photographer who left behind a passion of a different kind, photography, and is heading back to his home country to gather the remaining bits and pieces of his life and aspiring a new fresh start. They meet, share their stories, help each other through by reviving their hopes, and soon enough Nikki is up on the 1st class deck spending her time with what she likes doing most… tailoring for the fine ladies, and Norman is on the 3^rd class deck spending his time with what he like doing most as well… taking photos of the lovely 700 mail-ordered-brides-to-be.

Most of this foreign motion picture is on King Alexander where two desperate hearts meet while Nikki tries her best to give hope to her lonely bride fellows and Norman witnesses the corruption of his surroundings.

Brides or “Nyfes” in Greek is a capturing movie of a problem that once occurred then disappeared back in history with no intervention. A problem that have deeply affected and emotionally injured a great sum of women who remained silent and accepted their destiny gracefully… A must watch!

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