Meet the Patels

Geeta Patel and her brother Ravi Patel's 2014 documentary is a search for a spouse filmed from inside the family. Ravi is an Indian American actor who hid a two-year relationship from his parents and then ended it. Approaching thirty, he agrees to their method: the introduction sheets known as biodata, meetings arranged through family, and the conventions organised by people who share the Patel surname. The documentary follows all this in a way that is both funny and honest, with Ravi's parents negotiating on camera, insisting, and at times taking the film over. The account neither defends arranged marriage nor mocks it, showing the tension between two cultures through Ravi's own indecision. Some sections are told in animation. Who it's for: viewers who like personal documentary and immigrant family stories. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a detached, cleanly constructed documentary; the film keeps the feel of a home video.