by John Bear
Daily Lobo
Suicide bombers are people too.
The film "Paradise Now" follows Said and Khaled, two work-a-day Palestinians living in Nablus on the West Bank. They have been selected to carry out a suicide mission somewhere inside beautiful downtown Tel Aviv.
Said and Khaled are mentally prepared from the onset. Said is the son of an executed collaborator and has a sizable chip on his shoulder. The two have been inundated since childhood with highly clichÇd warmongering akin to those "Army of one" commercials Americans have come to know so well.
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In a rather chilling sequence, they are shaved, bathed and outfitted with bombs that will explode if removed prematurely then whisked away to the Israeli border.
It doesn't exactly work out.
Intercepted by Israelis, the two are separated, Khaled going back home and Said making it through. The interruption forces the two to contemplate what they are about to attempt.
Whether to blow one's self up is a difficult question, and the film - in story line and cinematography - becomes increasingly frantic as these two would-be martyrs search themselves and seek advice from Suha, the beautiful and politically moderate daughter of a fallen Palestinian militant.
"Paradise Now" is a difficult movie to watch, at least from a solidly Western point of view. It portrays two likeable characters who just happen to be preparing to kill themselves and countless others in an attempt to further what they believe to be a good cause. Most viewers will be torn between sympathy for the two and the shock and horror that accompanies feeling sympathy toward individuals demonized by our own culture.
When most Americans think of suicide bombers, words like "soulless murdering fanatic" spring to mind. I didn't want to see these two carry out their mission. I have had tea with guys like this. They seem so run-of-the-mill.
The sheer amount of patriotic drivel pumped into these two characters' heads strikes an eerily similar chord. They are told they will be heroes, remembered forever. Of course the old men chanting the "live free or die" bravado will not accompany Said and Khaled to spray their bodies all over city streets. It is exactly the same as American politicians proselytizing about freedom and democracy while several thousand miles away from the nearest roadside bomb.
"Paradise Now" comes from a solidly Palestinian angle but doesn't mire itself down with anti-Israel politicking. It instead shows two characters doing what they think is right and ultimately allows viewers to decide for themselves. It is refreshing since this particular conflict is too complicated to really sum up in 90 minutes.
No matter what one's particular take on the subject may be, this is an excellent piece of filmmaking. Anyone who can manage to squeeze several gut-busting jokes into a scene of two young men getting bombs strapped to their chests gets my vote for film of the year.
