Paradise Now

Genre: political drama
Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Release: 2005
Studio: Arte France Cinema et al. - Warner Independent
Rating: PG-13
MBiS score: 8.1/10


Desperation Personified


In Nablus, on the West Bank, two auto mechanics named Said (Kais Nashif) and Khaled (Ali Suliman) are so resentful of Israeli occupation that they have joined the Palestinian resistance movement. As the film begins, they are being called into action. With Lubna Azabal (Suha), Amer Hlehel (Jamal), Hiam Abbass (Said’s mother) and Ashraf Barhoum (Abu-Karem).

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PARADISE NOW deals with the Middle East crisis and the ordeal it inflicts on inhabitants of the region by focusing on two young men ready for the ultimate sacrifice. It depicts Palestinians almost exclusively; more strikingly, it refuses to label any of them but dares confronting them with ideas and opinions that contradict their own. Hot button epithets are evoked (militant, hero, freedom fighter, victim, assassin, traitor, terrorist) but it will be up to you to decide which ones, if any, can be attributed to one character or another. Always on a personal level, the movie also asks a few pointed questions. Is there too much emphasis placed on political struggle and too little on its human toll? What about collateral damage? Is violence the best or even the only solution? How can the cycle be stopped? Of course, these questions are far-reaching and no movie can answer them completely… but PARADISE NOW, at the very least, poses them with remarkable sincerity. Because of this, I found it more rewarding than INTERVENTION DIVINE, another recent movie that chose to show the conflict on a more visceral, satirical level.

Cinematically, the movie cannot be faulted for it includes a clear story-line, convincing acting and professional production values but its topical message to the Palestinian people is so crucial that I hope its creators won’t begrudge me for insisting more on content than on form.

Of course, I do recommend PARADISE NOW. Since it forces you to look at things differently, it qualifies not only as a work of art but also as a thoughtful statement about humanity torn between war and peace.


MBiS

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