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Suha, for her part, represents the only strong voice against Islamic terrorism, but alas, she speaks from the point of view of a disbelieving secularist. Instead of arguing, as some Muslims have done, that the Koran forbids suicide and there is therefore no justification for suicide attacks—indeed, quite the opposite—Suha tells Khaled the "paradise" he longs for is merely in his head. Khaled scorns her reliance on secular human-rights groups, and says, "I'd rather have paradise in my head than live in this hell"—a statement some Christians might appreciate, for it has echoes of Pascal's wager and C.S. Lewis's Puddleglum.

Khaled and Said have chosen an arduous road before them

While all the characters are united in their opposition to Israel—the only disagreement is over how to deal with the occupation—the film also drops several hints that there is something amiss in Palestinian culture, too. Men in small restaurants routinely call for the deaths of those who "collaborate" with the Israelis, and videos of collaborators "confessing" before their executions outsell videos of "martyrs" making their last statements before they go and die. A Palestinian taxi driver passes on a nutty rumor to the effect that Israel has poisoned the water to diminish the quality of Arab sperm. And when Khaled records his own video, he notices that Jamal is helping himself to the food prepared by Khaled's mother—a subtle sign, perhaps, of how these suicide bombers are exploited by their own leaders.

Abu-Assad dots the film with other metaphorical touches, and a surprising dose of humor, too. He is a little too conscious of the fact that he is making a film—in one scene, Suha tries to figure out which "genre" a movie about Saïd's life would belong to—and he tends to treat the speeches in which the bombers justify their actions a little too reverently (though he does undercut one such speech quite nicely afterwards). But he also does a good job of building tension and showing some of the complexities within Palestinian culture. He has, as they say, put a human face on the Palestinians. Now let's hope that someone can put a human face on the Israelis, in a movie that the Palestinians might want to see.

Talk About It

1. Do you think this film reflects a particular political point of view? If so, what is it? Does it foster dialogue between different points of view? Where do you find your own sympathies lying, as you watch the film? Are any political points of view missing?
   
   
2. What do you make of the way Abu-Assad films the political speeches? Is he encouraging us to sympathize with, or even agree with, the characters? What else might he be doing?
   
   
3. What do you make of the film's depiction of the Israelis? Are they portrayed as people, too?
   
   
4. Saïd says it is impossible to change your fate. Does the film make his fate look as inevitable as all that? Are there moments where he and Khaled make deliberate choices?
   
   
5. Suha says there is no paradise, and Khaled says he would rather live with paradise in his head than with this hell on earth. Does Suha go too far, or attack religion itself? Can you think of other ways that she could have opposed Islamic terrorism?
   
   
6. What do you make of Khaled's reply? How similar to, or different from, your own reasons for religious belief are they? How do we know what sort of "paradise" we should aim for?

The Family Corner

Paradise Now is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and brief strong language. The characters discuss current political and religious issues, including suicide bombing, and there is the threat of violence (including the sound of bombs going off in the distance), but no actual violence takes place onscreen.

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Ticket to Paradise?	Printer view
Palestinian director Hany Abu-Assad's new film—fictional, but true to life—follows the journey of two young suicide bombers. What motivates them? Abu-Assad says it may be more than meets the eye.