For those about to Rock: Childhood friends Said and Khaled feel the weight of their given task

Paradise Now chronicles a few days in the lives of childhood friends Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), who live in the West Bank city of Nablus under the weight of terrible poverty and a seemingly hopeless future. One day they are approached by Jamal (Amer Hlehel), who informs them that they have been chosen to carry out a suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv, because they had expressed a wish to die together if either of them had to die at all.

The story, from that point on, is an account of the two young men as they struggle to understand, and at times justify, that which they are about to do. Where Khaled is initially more fervent in his zeal to die for the cause, Said is more cerebral, and his undeniable humanity - itself the product of his family's history in the conflict - causes him to ponder his orders nearly to the point of treason. With that in mind, Abu-Assad seems to have something to say about the Palestinian psyche, as the would-be attack is at times discussed as being part of a dichotomy, namely sacrifice versus revenge.

What I cannot help thinking about is the title's resemblance to another film about conflict: Apocalypse Now. In Abu-Assad's film, "Paradise," to a certain extent, is what awaits self-sacrificing patriots in heaven, whereas the "Now" suggests the oppositional, pacifist desire to achieve such splendour - that is, peace - here, today, in the actual world. "Armageddon," by contrast, is supposedly the place of the last great conflict, and comes from a Hebrew word naming a city in Palestine. Etymology for thought, I suppose.

Paradise Now
 
 

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Water filters     At the end of the movie, my friend didn't understand what made one of the suicide-bombers commit this crime. While I don't approve of their act, I don't think we can judge whether their dignity was suficiently hurt, their poverty deep enough to warrant the desire to die - and to kill. Can we judge unless we are in the same predicament? No, but for a moment, we put ourselves in their shoes. This film humanizes suicide bombers. We see their humanity in their love for their family, their anger, their internal conflicts, their capacity to question themselves. It suggests maybe not all suicide-bombers are religious fanatics, as commonly thought. Through the two main characters, the movie brings us to the grey area between the black and white Pro Israeli/Pro Palestinian positions. I also appreciated the side-theme of water quality and availability in the West Bank. Although it is tackled with humour in the movie, we should be reminded that the struggle for water is an important component of the Israeli-Palestino struggle. Lastly, I do not remember having seen silence used so well in a movie .
Andreanne Grimard	{39 votes}	November 18th, 2005
"Silence is the most powerful scream"     I don't believe that Paradise Now humanizes suicide bombers. Palestinians are human beings just like the rest of us. Abu-Assad is not sympathetic to either side of the conflict. His agenda is different: he merely tells us how two friends decide to do something that defies description, and outlines the struggles they have as human beings. I have rarely held my breath for such a long time during a movie. The last scene will remain etched in my memory. The world came to a standstill. No one would have dared to break the magical silence. Did he or didn't he? A powerful film, quite different from others on the same topic. But I would never refer to Paradise Now as a "thriller." Hitchcock took good care of that.
Victor Trahan	{10 votes}	November 23rd, 2005
Paradise ?     While sure to provoke thought in a very polarising issue, it's most probably exactly what needed to happen. Putting aside any political overtones from the movie, it is a near perfect examination of human nature and how people act with little hope for any upcoming improvement. Without a doubt, a very insightful look into the motivations, surroundings and anger driving these men into suicide missions. Worth seeing just to have an alternative and not widely accessible view of the situation in a complex part of the world, if not because it is a rare gem of a film with good perfomances.
François Grimard	{9 votes}	November 22nd, 2005
Terrorism 101     A movie about terrorists? Not your everyday kind of movie but can you imagine if Hollywood got their hands on it? I saw this movie and although it isn't completely worked out in what it's trying to say to us it isn't some preachy monologue of how all terrorists are evil. This movie at least gives you a look inside what makes them tick and why some people become like this. Not an apology, just deep look inside. Good movie but wait for the DVD.
Vladimir Joseph	{18 votes}	November 19th, 2005
Brave Film on Human Tragedy     This is a rare look into the world of freedom fighters. The Palestinian people have no way to defend themselves against the Israeli occupation, but to be martyrs. Especially when they are faced with no hope, for a future. The big defender of freedom, the U.S.A has branded them terrorist. America has forgotten how they got their freedom from the British, they should be helping the Palestinian uprising. Paradise Now gives us an insightful look into the last 48 hours of a suicide bombers life. And takes a look into the motivations, surroundings and anger that send these young men to go on suicide missions. The film is sure to provoke thoughts on this very polarising issue, that's probably exactly what needs to happen. The cinematography is very well executed, with plenty of lingering shots of the rubble, that were once homes in the West Bank. Director Hany Abu-Assad did an excellent job. Go see this movie!.
Luciano Santavicca	{18 votes}	November 19th, 2005
Film Review 101/Hany Abu-Assad's flawed but nevertheless daring Paradide Now     Imperfect film, this I'll easily grant you but honestly, when was the last time Hollywood or Telefilm-Canada produced a story this daring? 1996's "Kissed"? 2004's "The Woodsman"? Honestly, I'm talking to you about balls out daring screenwriting with an idea and the guts to push the idea forward despite the obvious negatives attached. Look, this movie is at best daring and at worst, all too well aware of its pretensions and intent. Probably not worth seeing on the big screen but odds are that it will gather some momentum amongst the cinephiles that are fed up of Hollywood pablum.
Pedro Eggers	{18 votes}	November 18th, 2005
Will there be an end to this conflict?     This movie gives a lot to think about. It gives different opinions about terrorism given by palestinians. Some are fanatics, some agree that the only way to fight the occupation is terrorism and others think terrorism justifies the occupation of Palestine by Israel and for that reason it should be stopped. I think the characters are well developped and they are anything but cardboard cutouts and they are especially not black and white. Nothing in this movie (and in the conflict) is black and white. The character of Said is the most conflicted of the lot and the most interresting in my opinion. The movie doesn't pretend to have a solution to the Middle-East situation, it just tries to give a realistic portrait of palestinians and tries to explain the violence they live with every day. It seems realistic enough to me.
Nicolas Beaudoin	{5 votes}	November 18th, 2005
Paradise Not     I went into this movie expecting to see one of two things. 1) Two characters conflicted about their beliefs and whether what they were doing was right or wrong and why it was so to them. Or 2) A view of what it is in the culture that leads people to do act out this "terrorist" acts. Although the film briefly touched upon these issues none of them were fully developed and everything ended up being black and white and boring. The characters started out conflicted and even other characters were introduced with various stances but in the end everyone came out like cardboard cutouts and completely two dimensional. When they began either questioning or embracing their beliefs it happened in such quick moments that it seemed completely unrealistic. Instead of being a thought provoking political drama the film ended up being two sides to an arguement who keeping crossing over to each others' sides everytime someone tells them to. None of the theme or ideas are fleshed out, and at the same time there are no new views or issues for the audience to ponder and discuss after the film. All in all, a great concept for a film, but thats about all.
Gavin Roy	{9 votes}	November 17th, 2005

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