Paradise Now
What goes on inside the mind of a Palestinian suicide bomber? Paradise Now sheds light on guarded territory as two young men from the West Bank city of Nablus, cross over to Tel Aviv in an attempt to send themselves, with as many Israelis as possible, to God.Apart from the bloody history lesson and complex politics stiffling Israel and the Palestinian territories, Paradise Now is a story about two young men. While it may not change your opinion about the type of person who sets out to kill by strapping a bomb to their body, you will be forced to think about them, their families, their homes, their lives and their fears.
The two protagonists are auto mechanics Saïd and Khaled, who have been friends since childhood. They decide to go on a mission together and early in the film, they are tapped for a mission 24 hours in advance. This preparation period provides some of the film’s most fascinating insights. Each man is assigned a minder, who sticks with him throughout these hours as they return to their families to spend the night and say goodbye without letting anyone in on the secret.
Though the premise is bleak, the single light-hearted moment comes when the two men shoot their “martyr videos”. As indiscriminatory as suicide missions are, camera malfunctions do not bow to higher purpose which force the need for retakes. Khaled takes the opportunity in one of those retakes to throw in a personal note to his mother about where to buy at a lower price, a water-softening product that is advertised in the movie’s background media. Later we learn that these martyr videos, second only to collaborator videos, are hot rentals at the local video store. Saïd and Khaled are then given a 'make-over' before being wired up with bombs. Just before they embark on their one-way journey, they receive an inspirational send-off from the cell’s exalted leader.
Saïd and Khaled are not religious fanatics or rabid nationalists. In fact, bombers are rarely active members in the organizations who recruit them. While many mention the death of relatives at the hands of the Israeli army in their videos, not all are driven by revenge, nor are they motivated by a belief that they will ascend directly to heaven. Saïd and Khaled have heard rumors about Paradise, but in the end they’re not sure they believe them. They are just men with families who love them and who know nothing of their plans to die.
While the details are intriguing, it isn’t towards the second half and the end of the film that we learn more about Saïd's and Khaled's motives for going on the mission. Paradise Now throws a spin as each man has his ideology challenged by Suha, a returned expatriate and daughter of a sainted suicide bomber. Suha has come to believe that violent confrontation with Israel is wrong. While straightforward in her argument, these separate confrontations make both men question the very basis for the justification of their acts.
The bombing plan goes awry and is officially aborted. By that time Khaled, who seemed more enthusiastic of the two, had come to have second thoughts. And it isn’t until Saïd’s motives are revealed that we understand the despair that has been quietly eating away at him. The outcome is numbing. But for Saïd, not being able to see a way out of his situation, swallowing his need for retribution and accepting the love offered to him by Suha, is perhaps the greatest tragedy of all.
posted by Teutoburg @ 10:24 AM
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