Paradise Now


Filmed in Nablus and Nazareth, this movie hits all the Palestinian issues right on the nose

I finally had a chance to see "Paradise Now," which has been in theatres since October and is about to disappear from New York screens. Filmed in the West Bank's Nablus, as well as Nazareth, "Paradise Now" is able to deliver a variety of Palestinian problems and concerns in a way that completely relates their plight to the filmgoing public. Said and Khaled, two lifelong friends who work at a garage, wind up being chosen for a suicide mission into Tel Aviv. Filmed in real Palestinian surroundings, you can sense the hopelessness and desperation some people might feel. But it's more complex than that as well. Along with the terrorists are the "collaborators," who also wind up suffering. There's plenty of demoralization to go around.

When their contact on the Israeli side of the security fence doesn't show up, Said and Khaled flee back to their side. Khaled makes it back to the terrorist group's makeshift headquarters, but delayed, Said does not, and the group has already relocated. Khaled worries about Said wandering around, still bound by a girdle of explosives, and rushes around town trying to find him.

Meanwhile, a female friend of Said's, Suha, talks some sense into Khaled, who decides not to go on the suicide mission. Suha believes in more peaceful solutions, recognizing the endless, futile cycle of revenge and counterattack. She is also appalled to discover that tapes of suicide bombers' last statements are sold and rented, and that executions of collaborators go for even more. We also learn in the course of the film that Said is living with the cultural guilt of his father having been a "collaborrator." Nablus-born actress Hiam Abbas, who did a great job in the lead role as the sister of the "Syrian Bride," has a nice smaller role here as Said's mother.

Posted: Tue - January 17, 2006 at 02:59 AM        

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