Review of Paradise Now (2005) by Raj D — 11 May 2008

What can I say about this movie? I am not a Palestine, nor am I a Jew. I do not know what is going on between these two countries. I am from Asia, coming from the country where non-violence is taught from birth. I am as neutral as one can get.

The story is about Said (Kais Nashif) and Khaleed (Ali Sulimaan), who are chosen to be suicide bombers by Palestine group. Their mission is to cross the fence into Israel and blow up some military soldiers. Why? Because the Palestine?s feel helpless in front of the economic and military might of Israel. Both the young men are committed for this cause. Their first attempt fails because of Said?s stupidity; while in the second attempt Khaleed chicken?s out and Said?I will not tell you the whole story here to avoid spoilers.

This movie has won Berlin Festival award and was also nominated for best foreign film category Oscars; it has totally won 13 international awards and had 8 nominations.

After seeing the movie, I read the reviews on IMDb, especially the Hate It reviews. There was a online petition to stop this film from nominating at the Oscars ? more than 36,000 people signed the petition, mostly from US and UK. Every negative comment on the movie was because of the violent methods used by suicide bombers to kill innocent people.

I think these people (who made negative comments) did not understand the movie. May be they are blinded by their education, or by their morals, or by their upbringing, or by their hatred, or by bias, or by prejudice, or by law, or by their religion or they are utterly ignorant or deliberately behaving in this way ? I do not know?But surely these people did not get the message.

As a neutral observer of the movie, the message was very clear to me. It was simple and clear.

In 1917, British made a law to give some land to Jews in Palestine. Who were the British to do that on someone?s land? They themselves were occupiers. Around 1948 the state of Israel was created without consulting Palestine people. Palestines were driven out of their own land, and were living as refugees; while the occupiers with the might of money and arms, were not only claiming their right but also dominating them. The world had forgotten the 60 years of violent history of occupation by Jews on Palestine.

Sorry to say that, but I think those people who have written negative reviews have lost all human sensitivities or sensibilities and are behaving much worse than what is expected from humans in their reaction. Even animals understand the territorial boundaries.

After saying my view, the movie is extremely well made. It has tight script and the winner is the subtle dialogues that portray the heart rendering tale of Palestine people.

Both the lead actors have acted brilliantly. Yet the whole credit should go to the Director Hany Abu-Assad, who has also co-written the movie.

I am a peaceful person, I do not swear anyone also, but I was able to understand the generations of pain Palestine people might have suffered due to this imposed international legislation, law, rules. I think any law ignoring human suffering is NO LAW ? and it does not matter whether US imposed it, or UN imposed it.

I have seen the tribal naxalites in jungles of India taking to arms to fight State and Law, and I understand their problem by heart. When no other way is seen by several generations and many decades; violence is the only way to make their point. And no other way - anyone can compensate the tribals their 3-4 generations of suffering and lives. It would be dis-respectful for anyone?s with little intelligence to say the tribals or anyone else that ? violence is wrong. One has to live the generations of exploitations to experience the tragedy of tying a bomb on their stomach ? and blow oneself up.

I would recommend this movie to everyone who wants a balanced humanistic view point of suffering people ? from a human rights perspective.

This is a humanist saying who is not from Israel or Palestine.

(Stars 8 out of 10).