Paradise Now (2005)

I visited the occupied territories last month and it is so much worse than shown in the movie. You do not have to be for long in Palestine to know what occupation for 6 decades really mean.

I can only wish that this nightmare will stop soon! But I like the film, because it states that Palestinians are capable of more than only given by the media... I can tell you there is wide range of cultural events taken place in the occupied territories.

And for all who think or say, this is only propaganda I can just tell, go and see it yourself. Go to Bethlehem, Jericho or Hebron with open eyes and open heart (talk to people) and you will very soon recognize what is really going on.

For a better future. Thomas

Fmovies: Paradise Now was the Palestinian film which won the Golden Globes this year for best foreign language film, and it's no wonder to see why it did. Touching on very real, contemporary and the sensitive issue about the relations between the Israelis and the Palestinians, it takes on the much talked about and feared weapon of terrorists / freedom fighters, that of the suicide bomber.

And for that, I applaud the movie's take and narrative, which treads the very fine line and provides the audience aspects from both ends of the spectrum. The introduction is nicely set up, that the Israelis view the Palestinians with suspicious eyes, while it is the case of contempt the other way around. It doesn't set out to glamorize dastardly deeds, but presents a more intimate look into the making of a martyr, the motivations behind those who have willed themselves to political suicide, as well as presenting arguments for a more peaceful resolution through negotiations.

Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman) are childhood friends living in the city of Nablus. They're essentially the working class, and on the surface, your average Joe with non extremist views, living in a city where explosions are common everyday events. But before you know it, it's revealed that they are freedom fighters living a life of normalcy, and beneath the happy-go-lucky facade, they're ever ready to die for their cause. This movie humanizes the anonymous faces we often see in the news, thereby drawing flak from certain circles.

A chance presents itself, and the two of them are assigned to an unnamed group's latest and largest operation in 2 years, a bombing in Tel Aviv. Here's where things are interesting, as rituals are presented as the duo prepare themselves for their appointment with Paradise.

And this movie doesn't hold back in making fun of precisely this sacred promise of going to Heaven after the violent act of murder is committed. Watching it being presented through dialog by their chief operative, makes you wonder how gullible and easily manipulated would-be martyrs can be. But just as you're ready to generalize the simplistic behavior of suicide bombers, the movie's third act will arrest you with a twist that deeply explores the agendas, personal vendettas and the likes, which transcend all reasons and logic, providing more than enough fuel for motivation.

Worry not though that the movie will be heavy in theme. There are adequate light hearted moments to break the seriousness, and interesting visual details like the handless bomb- maker, puts things into certain perspective. Or that tongue-in-cheek reference to The Last Supper as well.

The ending was superb. My guess is many weaned on Hollywood will not come to appreciate it as it yanks the carpet from under your feet. Those who are accustomed to big, loud explosions might find it puzzling. But I thought it was a brilliant way to end it, a silent purposeful statement that continues throughout the end credits, stripping away any glamor of violence, whatever the cause, reason or rationale used to justify it.

Paradise Now is a film rooted in realism despite its fictional storyline. It is without the usual glitz associated with recent films touching on the subject (Syrianna comes to mind) and makes perfect use of its smaller scale to tell a more intimate, but no less powerful, story.

This film was so interesting. I am not a big fan of subtitles usually, but there was many points when the movie was so captivating that I forgot they were there.

I was shown from a terribly unique viewpoint in compared to any other movie I have seen on the topic. It approached a very difficult subject with brazen honesty and straight forwardness.

I really loved it. The director was brilliant. The use of certain symbolism and the comparison to the last supper was amazing I thought. I loved how it took something from a different religion and how their beliefs while so different in so many ways comes to a basic belief.

The camera work and the portrayal of so much at times where there were no words was awesome.

This movie is definitely worth it. Even if only to gain a viewpoint that is different from your own. I think that you will come away with a lot more then that.

Paradise Now fmovies. PARADISE NOW, like THE WAR WITHIN, educates an American audience on the tragedy of the complex battle of "Arab vs. Jew" and does so in a film that brings this struggle home to the West Bank and gives us a picture of two friends selected to carry out revenge for the death of fellow Palestinians. Well constructed, realistic, informative and yes, even humanistic in presenting us with characters that we would immediately disregard with hatred and contempt.

The journey taken by the friends is painful, personal and disturbing, in that the killing of Jews will only extend the bombings and killings of more Palestinians within the West Bank. PARADISE NOW shows us that the historical roots of hatred between Arab and Jew is one that will never go away, and the film points out this factor visually in building to the final scene on the bus in Tel Aviv. When the camera narrows down to the eyes of the bomber, surrounded by healthy, happy Israeli soldiers, the intense moment of self destruction is inevitable.

The shots of Tel Aviv, the West Bank, the excellent cast, direction and writing and development of the characters makes PARADISE NOW a very important film to see in 2005.

For those viewers who are wondering whether this is a pro suicide bomber movie or not, I can say that it may depend upon who's doing the viewing. Director Hany Abu-Assad, who is a Muslim was born in Nazareth, which is a largely Christian city in Palestine. He moved to the Netherlands when he was a young man and currently lives in Los Angeles. He believes the film presents "an artistic point of view of...(a) political issue." I tend to agree. The proof perhaps is in the fact that some Palestinians feel the film wasn't fair to their situation while some Israelis feel that the film glorified suicide bombers. Both sides can find evidence in the film to support their point of view, and the arguments can become heated.

Personally I find suicide bombings abhorrent and counterproductive. My belief has long been that the Palestinians would further their cause through a non-violent approach similar to methods used by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Using your children to kill other people's children while committing suicide is not only morally wrong, but not likely to win the hearts and minds of people who can help you. Furthermore the idea (expressed in the film by the suicide bombers and those who exploit them) that some people are superior because they are not afraid to die demonstrates a limited understanding of human nature and ignores history. The Japanese used suicide bombers in World War II for example to no good effect. And those men were not the "humiliated" and "oppressed" uneducated youths typical of suicide bombers in the Middle East. Instead some of them were the cream of the young manhood of a growing nation. Understand also that if the United States had the need it would have no trouble persuading countless Americans to commit suicide for God and country. Some of the combat missions in the Pacific Theater amounted to something close to suicide. No single people have a monopoly on tribalism.

What Hany Abu-Assad shows in the film is that the justification for suicide bombing is at best suspect and at worse without any merit at all. "What happens afterward?" one of the bombers asks, and is told, "Two angels come and pick you up." This is not merely satire, it is a burlesque of the "Paradise Now" reasoning. Indeed the title of the film is itself satirical and ironic. Young men seeing this film will notice that it is THEY who are being used as suicide bombers, not the political leaders and the imams. Also the scene in which the suicide bombers make the obligatory video saying goodbye to family and friends and "I did it for God" with automatic rifle held on high, was played as farce, revealing the empty promise behind being used.

The fact that most of the anti-suicide rhetoric in the film comes from Suha (Lubna Azabal) who is the daughter of a privileged Arab and onetime opposition hero is seen as significant by some because in Arab/Muslim countries the political opinion of women is of scant value, and therefore Suha is seen as expressing a minority or discredited opinion. However, since her expression is so very well articulated and persuasive, it can be seen from the opposite point of view, as expressing reason and moral truth.

Hany Abu-Assad of course had more than an artistic intent in making this film. Clearly he wanted to put the tragedy of the Palestinians upon the silver screen (and DVD) for all the world to see. To be effective he realized that he could not poison the waters of his expression with subjectivi

"Paradise Now" is a rare film in which one sees another angle to the Middle East conflict first hand. In fact, the movie is non violent while making its point, something, that in another director's hands, would have taken a different path.

Director Hani Abu Assad takes us behind the scenes as two young men are being asked to perform the most daring act in order to make a statement to the enemy, give up their own lives! Mr. Assad takes us along as this pair prepares for what could be their last day on earth. In fact, one of the things that have always puzzled us is the idea that the young people giving their own lives, go to their deaths so quietly, and without any questions posed to the leaders that are asking for their sacrifice.

We watch as the two good friends, Said and Khaled spend the last night with their families, not even giving a hint of what they are about to do. Later, in a scene that reminded us of "The Last Supper", Said and Khaled sit with the leader of their group to partake their last meal. Then, we watch as they both are transformed to resemble their own enemy.

The two young leads, Kais Nashef and Ali Suliman are perfect in their roles. Lubna Azabal, is seen as a young Moroccan woman who has met the pair at the garage where they worked and seems to act as their conscience because she makes them reflect on the deed they are going to perform.

"Paradise Now" points to a lot of the causes for the problems in the region where the contrast between the two sides is like day and night. Nablas, the town where Said and Khaled live could well be in another planet, while Tel Aviv, with its skyscrapers, modernity and order, is perhaps, the paradise they are searching for.

The film is worth a look since it is a different account about the tragedy in that part of the world.