“Megnot” (2025) is a delightful rom com about the titular character (Nardos Adane) who does not want an arranged marriage even though she adores and trusts that her grandfather, Papa (Mehatem Haile), a respected elder in Arba Minch, Ethiopia, wants the best for her. They bet that if she cannot get her university sweetheart, Henok (Seyum belay Seyum), to visit, then she will marry anyone whom her grandfather chooses. Henok reasonably wants to wait before taking the big step, but because he prioritized his work over his girlfriend, a stranger, Dawit Mekonnen (Engedasew Habete), had to help Megnot stay safe while navigating the big city, Addis Adaba, and agrees to pretend to be her boyfriend so Papa does not choose anyone, and Megnot could convince her boyfriend to change his mind. The city mouse takes awhile to warm up to the country, but he begins to appreciate Megnot’s spirit and is grateful for Papa’s wisdom. Will Megnot marry the right man? I’m sorry, y’all. I finally get the Hallmark Christmas movies and K drama series that center romance, I just needed a slightly different formula thanks to writers Naomi said Mohammed and Bezawit Hailemariyam Tesfaye, but all rom coms should come with the disclaimer, “Do not try this at home.”
Apparently, I need both people to be flawed because if one is clearly better than the other, I side with one and want them to run. Megnot is proactive, plucky and vivacious. She is one of those women who can wear a dress and still look ladylike, cool and gorgeous while riding a bike. When the country mouse goes to the city, “Megnot” took unexpected turns. In most places around the world, but largely in the past, if a woman walked the street alone, she could be mistaken for being a sex worker if she was unaccompanied. Poor Megnot, who does not look like she is conducting nocturnal business and says as much, gets mistaken twice for being a streetwalker (see, that is where that comes from). It is not her only bad experience in the city, but it is the worst. Her biggest flaw is her taste in men. Traditional women already know what women of the twenty-first century are figuring out: do not travel for a man, especially if he does not make your life better. Megnot missed that memo.
Henok is preoccupied with his work and shows little concern for Megnot’s safety. To briefly side with him, if your partner visited you without notice during work hours, and you just started that job, you would not drop everything to hang out with them. Also, if your partner wanted to get married immediately after not being able to reach you on the phone regularly, that seems as much of a red flag as the reverse situation. Henok does not do as he promised on his off hours and is a poor communicator. As “Megnot” continues, Henok’s stock devalues further, but not in Megnot’s eyes, which is another ding.
Dawit is someone that you can work with but is not a home run, which is realistic. In the introduction, Dawit learns the lesson that Henok will learn after “Megnot” ends. Dawit prioritizes work over his girlfriend, Belen, and lets his best friend, Biniyam, do all the heavy lifting because nothing says “I love you” like outsourcing the procurement of symbols of your love. His initial meeting with Megnot could be a misunderstanding, but afterwards, he is horrific. His biggest red flags are the fact that he initially does not like that she talks so much, calls her crazy and has zero money on him. His best asset: he is New York City kind. In the beginning, he cannot stand Megnot, but he will always be there for her, and he improves over the course of the movie. He is much prettier when he smiles, and he is modest. While I am not necessarily cosigning the relationship., I’m not rooting against it. If it is a choice between Henok and Dawit, Dawit every time.
While watching “Megnot,” I realized why arranged marriage is such a horrific concept. Look around the world and the adults that you knew in childhood. Would you trust those people with the most important factor for determining your future happiness, your future spouse? Respectfully, absolutely not. If you had a Papa, you would trust him with all your life decisions. One common problem with movies is when the woman protagonist gets tossed aside for the male supporting character, but here it was absolutely necessary because Megnot was exposed to Papa her entire life and is still a mess, but Dawit glows up under Papa’s tutelage. Papa makes village life into a meta commentary on the state of Ethiopia, history and values. Remember that I was brought up fundamentalist so I’m a sucker for falling for Biblical moralistic values when they seem beneficial to the entire society. Papa won me over when Dawit talks a bit of smack about an elderly childfree couple in love, and Papa chides him for not seeing the value in their relationship. Papa for president! Age should never be automatically equated with wisdom, but Papa was terrific. Do not get it twisted! In the real world, if you want to find Papa, you better buy this movie because people like him do not exist, or they are hard to find. Protect him at all costs.
If “Megnot” sounds like a boring, preachy movie, my apologies. It is actually hilarious and melodramatic, but never feels like over the top. The funniest moment is when Dawit meets Papa. Director Abel Regasa uses action music and dramatic editing style to convey the emotional heights in the story thus elevating the stakes of a romcom to life and death, which it is. It could also be framed as using soap opera visual storytelling techniques even though the storyline was not absurd. If the film follows any beats, it is reminiscent of “It Happened One Night” (1934). Once the city mouse realizes that there are wild animals around, the country scenes become the height of broad comedy. The montages of the couple having fun are super cute and attainable. Of course, any couple would fall in love at five-star accommodations, but these two frolic in a pond and ride bikes. Also the shots of the city and the countryside feel realistic, not tourist traps, but as someone who has heard a lot about Ethiopia, but never saw it, it was a real treat.
The description for “Megnot” sounds harrowing and misogynistic in a vacuum, but the actual movie is light, fun, solid and empowering. While the stakes are high, it does not feel stressful. It is more about finding a healthy balance between traditional and contemporary life without painting either side with a broad brush. The nuance is refreshing and unexpected. It is a delightful movie, and while I would not advise imitating anything that happened in the film, it is a great representation of a way of that life that is unfamiliar to many.
