Paradise Now Analysis and Criticism

"Paradise Now" is a Palestinian film nominated for best foreign picture in 2005. The movie involves two days in the lives of Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), two Palestinians, garage mechanics and best friends, who are recruited to cross into Israel and blow themselves up. They are not shown as fanatics. They prepare for their task as one would prepare for any difficult assignment. The organization that supports them provides training, encouragement, praise, shaves and haircuts, suits and ties, a ceremonial dinner, and a chance to make videos that will be shown on television. The movie is straightforward it is not meant to teach you anything new about Palestine and their economic and social problems. It doesn't even prove or make a case that Israel is an evil regime that tries to oppress palestine with their military and economic power. The movie is as direct as can be, the director does one thing brilliantly and that is he tries to humanize and put a face on suicide bombers. The director show the process and planning out on what takes to be a suicide bomber. The director even brings in a "westernized" character Suha the female lead that romantically falls for the protagonist of the film Said. Suha who doesnt believe in suicide bombing or terrorist tactics/methods tries to convince and get insides Said head she uses word of reason and compassion to get to Said but it ultimately fails. Ofcourse she is the westernized character in the film A Palestinian born in France and raised in Morocco, she has great status in the Palestinian community because she is the daughter of Abu Assam, a revered leader, influenced no doubt by the skepticism of the West, she questions terrorist acts on both theological and practical grounds but with no really knowledge or experience of what happens in the everyday Palestine she has one hope "Eventually everything will get better" But Said is not driven by future hopes or miracles he is driven by 2 things his religion and "honor" lost by his family due to his father being an informer or collaborator. He grows angry, so angry that he tries to blow himself up on top of his fathers grave becuase of the resentment he holds against his father. Though he holds anger and resentment to a father that he never really knew example of this can be seen when Said asks his mother to tell him about his father, the mother refuses calling it silly question, stupid question. Which tells me that he didnt know his father, he didnt know his fathers motivation, his fathers reasons, or/and his fathers beliefs. At the end of the movie Said does complete his mission and goes to Israel to blow up himself and taking as many Israelis as he possibly can. Finally gaining back some of what he lost when his father died. Gaining respect from his fellow terrorist peers but he fails to gain respect to the two most important people (to him) in the film his mother and the woman he was falling in love with Suha. In a sense he did it more for himself that Palestine. His best friend Khaled miraculously changes his mind because of a few words Suha said, you can see how Said was a strong minded person unlike his friend which looked more driven but in a way didnt have an opinion of his own he just followed the "trends" around Palestine. It is a great film in many ways, it humanizes and puts a face on suicide bombers, but in what it fails is that you can not sympathize with the characters you can only pity them, the movie is sad because you feel that Said wasted his life, funny how you waste your life on people who send you to die but not send themselves.. We can put religion into play in this movie but Said is not really motivated by religion or lack of knowledge after death we see in the film how religion can be dangerous and objective.

"So what happens after death?" Asks Khaled..

"Two angels will pick you up"...

Khaled - "Are you sure? "

"Absolutely"