Film Reviews

Paradise Now

• Rating:
• Director: Hany Abu-Assad.
• Starring: Kais Nachef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal, Amer Hlehel.
• Details: France, Israel, 90mins, 12A.

In Nablas, on the West Bank, two Muslim car mechanics, Said (Nachef) and Khaled (Suliman), have volunteered for a suicide mission and receive word that they have been chosen to carry out an 'assignment' across the border. As it is the first operation to be carried out in two years, the men realise the importance of their mission and meticulously set about preparing for their duty. They cut their hair, shave their beards, wash their bodies, pray, eat a lavish last dinner and finally attach explosives under their black suits. As they wait at the border for their contact to arrive, an army patrol startles them and they make a run for it, separating in the process. Now, with the mission in a shambles and no way to contact each other, Said and Khaled have time to reflect on their task - is this cold-blooded murder or war? Shooting Paradise Now on location in the West Bank gives the film an authentic feel but what makes it genuine are the faces of the protagonists. Director Abu-Assad uses close-ups to try to get inside the soul of these two men and we can almost hear what they are thinking through their eyes. Constantly flipping the audience's expectations, Abu-Assad's narrative never slows up or wavers from the objective despite the opposite happening in the minds of his 'heroes'. It's not all doom and gloom either as humour is injected for levity - Khaled's final speech to the camera before he embarks on his mission has to be redone three times because of low batteries and when the cameraman is finally ready, all he can do is tell his mother where she can buy cheaper water filters.

Review by Gavin Burke