Lauren Davis
Dr. Stephanie Wheatley
Intro to REL 1113
Nov 15 2013
Paradise Now Review The movie Paradise Now follows the lives of two best friends Said and Khaled in present day Islam-oriented Palestine, In Nablas on the West Bank. Nablas is a sort of slum type area; there are many parts in the movie where we see the buildings are broken down and ruined. For example, Said and Khaled both live with their whole family in their shack style houses that look like beat up apartments, when it shows them sleeping they are sleeping on simple mats on the floor, instead of a real bed or even a spring mattress. The opening scene shows Said is shown working on a car in what looks like an old rusty junk yard where soon Khaled and their boss come in all with bitter attitudes. Throughout the movie, the characters such as Khaled and Said constantly refer to their city as “a jail” and When Suha tells the cab driver “things will get better” he comments back the question “you’re not from here?”; Giving the audience the feeling that those who live there have a very negative outlook on life. They always talk about the violence going on between Nablas and Tel Aviv; also giving the idea that those who grew up in Nablas never knew anything more than violence and to hate those who they think hate them. The movie quickly turns when Said is approached by Jamal (a man they have known for a long time) who tells them they have been chosen by Allah to carry out “the next mission”. He seems very excited to tell Said the news about this mission; we don't know exactly what it is but by the seriousness in Said’s face it is something bad or something to be worried about. By the excitement in Jamal’s voice when telling Said about the mission, we can begin to see that this is one of the tactics used by the terrorist group to get those who are supposed to carry out their mission. This is one of the tactics that the terrorist group is using to persuade them that what they are doing is the right thing for their religion. Another thing that they do when they take them to the hideout is they complain about Israel and make Said and Khaled believe that they are the reason for their problems. Also in the meeting place, the terrorist make the two friends read a bunch of pro Islam stuff that makes Israel look bad and Palestine look like the ones that are always getting the bad end. Next, they tell the two friends that they will be heroes in their home town because what they are doing is a mission of God. They are told they “are the ones that will change things.” Their pictures will be in the town center, and their families will be “taken care of,” for the rest of their lives. This is a good deal to them because Khaled and Said are both from poor families to begin with. Suha, the daughter of a wealthy businessman in the community has her own view about suicide bombings. She tells Khaled that she believes there is no such thing as paradise, that it’s all a part of his imagination. To this he tells her that it’s more of a paradise than where they come from though. She also tells him that there is no excuse for these people. She tells Khaled that “if you can kill and die for equals you should at least find a way to be equal in life.” She tells him also that the Israeli army is really strong and big and that they can never beat them. She thinks that they can never get anywhere in life if they keep doing these things and it won’t accomplish anything for Palestine or Islam. Khaled was the first of the two to be very enthused about the suicide mission. He was very excited about the fact of being a hero in his hometown and he tells Said about how this will be good for them and their families. When he was making the video he was yelling and very enthused and meanwhile Said was just reading off from his sheet. Then, on the way over to the Israeli border Khaled talked the entire way and Said just looked out the window. The whole time he seemed like he would be the one to do it and Said would be the one that was worried. However, it all changed when they got to Tel Aviv, because Khaled started to sweat and get nervous and wonder if they should do it or not. Before they got to the border, Jamal told them they could come back if they want so Khaled started to wonder if they should do it. Said finally started talking and agreed to go back to Palestine with Khaled and they called the car back. Said called the car back because Khaled began to panic, I felt that is when Said decided that it was not time for Khaled to do this. When the car got back, Said tricked Khaled and shut the door on him and told the driver to go back. This made Said look like he was the more enthused one now and not Khaled. When the movie cut off, all it showed was Said’s face zoomed in. He had no emotion or anything. But I think that he did blow himself up. The whole time he kept thinking of his dad that was in “Paradise” and how much he wanted to be with him the whole time because his dad died in a suicide bombing when he was a kid. Also he continually said throughout the movie how it was Allah’s will and that he must do what Allah wants. I think the reason he pushed Khaled back into the car was because Khaled didn’t come from a broken family like Said did (because of his dad), and he didn’t want him to start one. Said wasn’t married, so if he were to kill himself then he would end the cycle and be with his dad in Paradise. I think that he carried out the mission because of this, and felt compassion for Khaled and didn’t want him to do what Said’s dad did and ruin his family as well. The movie did change my view on the Arab-Israeli conflict completely because I honestly didn’t know the extent and seriousness of what was going on. When it comes to life under military occupation, I again had no idea the seriousness of the hostile environment that they live in. I can’t imagine living in constant watch and fear of the government. Yes, Americans are technically under watch by the government but not in such drastic forms and they showed in the movie. My view on suicide bombings has also changed completely. I always thought that the bombings were just to harm other people and that those who did it where crazy and just wanted an easy way out of life. After watching the movie I realized that they begin to think that it is what is actually right. They think that by bombing, they will go to heaven of “paradise” and they will be looked up too. Not all the dozens they will be killing or injuring.