Film Review: Paradise Now

04-21-06,8:42am





Following in the wake of The Diameter of a Bomb comes another film set in occupied Palestine, this time trying to flesh out a little of the life of the suicide bomber responsible for the massacre.

However, unlike the BBC-sponsored documentary, which concentrated on the collateral carnage caused by a bomber, Hany Abu-Assad's fiction film prefers to deal with the psychology of so-called martyrdom.

Naturally, it has been attacked for glorifying terrorism. It doesn't. Nor does it convince about the politics behind the actions, since the people that we see could and should have acted differently.

The sticking point comes when the potential bomber asks: 'And what happens next?' after receiving his instructions to carry the bomb into Tel Aviv and explode it, preferably among soldiers.

His handler looks almost bored and replies: 'You will be met by two angels.'

'Are you sure?' asks the young man, shifting in his seat and looking at his other companion, who seems equally ill at ease, despite repeating their mantra: 'We're doing the right thing, we're going to heaven.'

Anybody with any sense would have taken the opportunity to have second thoughts, especially as, given the character study, he wasn't exactly short on sense, never mind living a more fruitful life.

Only later do we learn that he has other reasons for sacrificing himself. Obviously, Abu-Assad and co-writer Bero Beyer aren't convinced by the arguments either, but, given the context, thought that they needed airing.

Abu-Assad says: 'The film is simply meant to open a discussion, hopefully a meaningful discussion, about the real issues at hand. I hope that the film will succeed in stimulating thought.

'If you see the film, it's fairly obvious that it does not condone the taking of lives. In my experience, much of the talk and protest comes from the idea of the film and not necessarily the film itself.'

Nor have all the problems been confined to the press or the film festivals where it has garnered many awards, including the Blue Angel Award at the Berlin Film Festival 2005. The film was also made under siege conditions.

Fortunately, given that one of the crew was kidnapped during the shooting, Nazareth-born Abu-Assad was able to continue because he was respected for producing Rana's Wedding (2002) and Ford Transit (2002).

It opens as it continues - everything calculated to heighten the sense of paranoia set against scenes of bomb blasts exploding in the distance, the streets showing evidence of the blitzkrieg.

The central characters are Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), pals since childhood who belong to the same unnamed terrorist group and are awaiting the call to arms.

Meanwhile, they spend their days lounging about drinking tea and smoking a hookah when they're not working in menial jobs, currently as exploited car mechanics.

Said's the moody one, Khaled has a temper. Only when they are contacted by their point man Jamal (Amer Hlehel) do we realise that they have volunteered for the ultimate sacrifice.

We watch as they are prepared, their hair being cut and their beards shaved, each one dressed in the suicide suit with a conventional suit over the top, so as to resemble two orthodox settlers to avoid suspicion.

Earlier, he meets the beautiful young Suha (Lubna Azabal), who is introduced to remind him of the other pleasures of life, especially since he learns that she's the daughter of a famous martyr and man to be admired.

Obviously, he thinks that she will understand his predicament. However, unlike her father, she's an advocate of a peaceful road, accusing the terrorists of providing Israel with justification for the suppression.

She argues that the resistance must seek the moral high ground and, given the firepower of the Israelis, concentrate their resources on building a mass movement that can attract international solidarity.

Thus, the film presents two opposing viewpoints, the two men having to confront themselves and each other, especially when they get separated during an attempt to cross the wire.

It's simple. The suicide squad want paradise after death, the peace movement wants paradise now. Its denouement sees the two brothers forced to make a fateful decision.

Ever since the US declared war on the world, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make anything that attempts to humanise those who believe that they are fighting for freedom, so the film-makers should be congratulated.

What we see is a people plagued by years of oppression, some turning to simple solutions and possible glory, others prepared to be patient, trying to organise the mass movement anonymously.

Those that take the martyrs' road etch their name in history in the blood of others, the rest have to rely on the memory of posterity - a roll call that includes many a million unnamed souls.