Paradise Now

Over the last two nights, we have watched a DVD of "Paradise Now". This is a interesting and controversial film. It follows two potential Palestinian suicide bombers. The movie attempts to explain why a person would choose this path and what struggles they have with the decision. It concentrates on the events leading up to the terrorist attack. The acting is very good and the movie seems very believable to me. In fact, this film was made on location and the filmmakers were required to dodge firefights and missile attacks to make this movie. Furthermore, a location manager was kidnapped by a Palesinian group.

While the movie seemed authentic and did a good job of showing the steps leading a to a terrorist attack, I don't think it did a great job of showing why someone would take this path. In the movie, I heard the terrorists talk about the overwhelming sense of humiliation and hopelessness, yet I didn't feel it. I think these emotions could have been portrayed in a more powerful way. Now, it has to be understood that I will never completely understand the life of a young Palestinian man. His life is so completely different from mine. Furthermore, the political issues are far more complex than can be captured in a 90-minute film. Another factor might be that we saw this movie over 3 different sessions. It might have been more powerful, if we watched the movie in one sitting.

While the movie has some shortcomings, it is a worthy goal to help everyone understand the motives of others. Especially, when others are making "hard to understand" decisions. I cannot imagine myself or anyone I know deciding to take such an action. Yet, there seems to be a constant stream of young men and women volunteering to make terrorist acts. I feel like I have an inkling of the motive, but I would like to know more. This is sad to say, but I can not remember seeing a movie or reading a book from the Arab point of view. Hmm, that is not quite right, I have read one book. I have heard that "The War Within" and "The Terrorist" also take a look at suicide bombers. I have added both movies to our Netflix queue.