Paradise Now (2005)

Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Director:

Hany Abu-Assad

Writers:

Hany Abu-Assad, Bero Beyer

Stars:

Kais Nashif, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 13 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lubna Azabal	...	Suha
Hamza Abu-Aiaash	...	Checkpoint Soldier
Kais Nashif	...	Said
Lutuf Nouasser	...	Car Owner (as Lotuf Neusser)
Ali Suliman	...	Khaled
Mohammad Bustami	...	Abu-Salim
Ahmad Fares	...	Tea Boy
Waleed On-Allah	...	Taxidriver Suha
Asaad Dwikat	...	Shawarma Shop Owner
Imad Saber	...	Shawarma Customer
Mohammad Kosa	...	Photographer
Amer Hlehel	...	Jamal
Hiam Abbass	...	Said's Mother
Nour Abd El-Hadi	...	Said's Sister
Amjad Al-Imlah	...	Said's Brother

Storyline

Palestinians Said and Khaled, now in young adulthood, have been lifelong friends living in Nablus in the West Bank. They have both had what they consider a difficult life, now working side-by-side in unfulfilling jobs as auto mechanics in a small garage, being unfulfilling as difficult as the jobs were to get. Those difficult lives includes feeling like they are prisoners in the West Bank, Said who has only left the region once on a medical issue when he was six. They blame all their problems on the oppression by the Israelis. As such, they have volunteered and have been accepted by a Palestinian resistance group to carry out a suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv: after the initial response to the first bomb, the second bomb would be detonated at the same site. Following the bombing, the resistance group would release pre-taped video messages of Said and Khaled confessing to the bombing in the name of God. The mission would require Said and Khaled to cross "illegally" into Israel. ...

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Plot Keywords:

martyr | reference to muhammad | settler | friend | betrayal | 

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Taglines:

In the next 36 hours, two childhood friends may do the unthinkable.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jina Sumedi wrote an original score for the film that ultimately was not used.

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Goofs

When Khalid speeds away in the green car the camera man is reflected in the car's windows.

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Quotes

Said's Mother: The world changes. Everything changes, but God. You'll see.

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Connections

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006)

User Reviews

Had me thinking....

I can't add much more that hasn't already been said here previously. I walked into the theater expecting an obvious ending but was somewhat surprised with the slightly interesting twist on one of the characters. It's not hard to imagine that if a commercial Hollywood blockbuster studio had done this film, they would have chosen a less cerebral approach and added a pointless car chase and spectacular special effects with poorly cast big names. Fortunately this independent film chose to focus on the psychological and ideological elements of this complicated predicament that is very much a reality today. Nor was there a pretentious political statement here, just an unbiased view of how these people see things. I found myself sympathizing with the main characters at some point, something I never felt I could ever do. But it certainly had me questioning my own character. If I had been raised under the same circumstances, what would I do? Rarely does a film do this to me.... A very powerful film that Hollywood would never ever make. Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Warner Independent Pictures [United States]

Country:

Palestine France Germany Netherlands Israel

Language:

Arabic English

Release Date:

18 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Paradise Now

Filming Locations:

Israel

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$48,023, 30 October 2005

Gross USA:

$1,457,843

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,579,902

Company Credits

Production Co:

Augustus Film, Lama Productions, Razor Film Produktion GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1