Paradise Now

Before I begin, I must thank my lovely advisor, Ms. de Grijs, and all of her infinite wisdom for suggesting this movie to me. Usually, I am not the biggest fan of political movies as I think that they usually limit themselves to that political message instead of expanding on humanity and the human condition. Also, the phrase "political thriller" is the biggest oxymoron to ever exist and too many films have been released with this tagline.

Paradise Now is not that way. This movie is definitely political but I think that it speaks on a much deeper level about responsibility and freedom. I started watching it not knowing exactly what it was about except that my teacher, whose heart belongs to the Middle East, really likes it. In fact, I actually thought that it was a comedy because there were genuinely funny moments. I think (and hope) that these moments were intentional in this film as Paradise Now gives a face, a rationale, and humanity to a group of people who have previously only been demonized and the humor in the film comes from the humanness of those moments. (My favorite moment involves an impassioned speech/goodbye until the character finds out he isn't being recorded. The moment turns genuine as he begins to understand fully what he's going to do and leaves the most heartfelt and touching message about water filters ever to exist.)

Paradise Now features solid performances which are completely necessary to make the film work and to give a voice to a little explored role. In order to see the humanity of these characters, they must not be portrayed as simply black or white, good or evil and this film does a great job of exploring the gray area of justice and freedom and how someone deals with the morality of fighting for these things. I began to understand the desperation of the characters' actions even though I do not agree with their choices.

Categories of Note:
Subject Matter
Acting
Cinematography

Parent Watchability: This is a great movie to share with others and will definitely inspire conversation. Because of the heaviness of the subject matter and the fact that its subtitled, you might want to avoid watching with children.

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