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PARADISE NOW Send This Review to a Friend
Amid all the talk about suicide bombers and what makes them tick, “Paradise Now,” directed by Hany Abu-Assad and shown at the 2005 New York Film Festival, offers a window into the situation by focusing on two Palestinian friends who are preparing to go on a suicide mission born of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Can they go through with it? The film examines their attitudes, loyalties and the indoctrination that leads them to wanting to strike a blow they envision as aiding their cause.
The young men are effectively portrayed by Kais Nashef and Ali Suliman, and although told from the Palestinian view rather than from the Israeli perspective, there is a segment in which a case is made for such bombings as being counter-productive to an effort for both sides to live in peace. The film is deeply involving and sheds light on the human factor involved behind the headlines.
Tension builds throughout as the men go through the routine of preparing for their mission. We are given a look into the ideology that propels them, the training and goading that they get and the martyrdom promised. Once committed, the men are on a march toward the destiny they have chosen, but when something goes wrong, their commitment is tested.
Although the film is primarily from a Palestinian viewpoint, the concept of suicide bombing is challenged in a speech that questions whether such violence is really the way toward solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is a feeble rebuttal in comparison with the rest of the tale. However, what “Paradise Now” has going for it is an underlying recognition of the human factor involving those who are being used by their handlers as part of a policy that makes the individuals sacrificial lambs. A Warner Independent Pictures release.
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