Meet the Patels

Ravi Patel has just broken up with his girlfriend of two years, a girlfriend his parents knew nothing about. He could never bring himself to tell them about her because, while his family is of Indian descent, his ex-girlfriend was not. His immigrant parents expect that, in spite of the diverse population of their American life, he will settle down with a nice Indian girl.

Now that he is almost 30, Ravi’s parents are beginning to despair that he may never marry and start the family they’ve been waiting for. Ravi agrees to try the modern version of the arranged marriage; he goes through the process of meeting a number of Indian young women, with the goal of finishing the process in a year’s time.

Ravi’s sister, Geerta, who is also still single, films his quest in a sweet, entertaining, and unconventionaldocumentary that illuminates the hard-to-navigate road to love as well as the particular Indian culture to which their family belongs. It’s a fascinating look at love, commitment, familial ties, and the experience of immigrant families. Now on disc and streaming on Netflix. (Alchemy)