Vote on this title
Click on a gene to vote or discover related titles.
-
Mood:
- BleakDisturbingSincereTenseContemplativeRoughSuspensefulThought Provoking
-
Plot:
- TerrorismPolitical UnrestPrice of JusticeDangerDeadlyHopesLegalLife is a Bitch more...
-
Genres:
- DramaForeign
-
Time/Period:
- Contemporary21st Century
-
Place:
- IsraelMiddle EastPalestinian Authority
-
Praise:
- Award WinnerControversialCritically Acclaimed
-
Attitudes:
- SeriousRealistic
-
Score:
- BluesFolk
Does this gene fit Paradise Now?
Find it on:
| IMDb | |
| Rotten Tomatoes |
Paradise Now, 2005
Arabic, English
Occupied Palestinian Territory, France, Germany, Netherlands, Israel
Profile of Paradise Now
Paradise Now can be described as disturbing, bleak, and tense. The plot revolves around the price of justice, terrorism, and legal issues. The main genres are drama and foreign. In approach, Paradise Now is serious and realistic. It is located in the Palestinian Authority and Israel. It takes place in contemporary times. The soundtrack of Paradise Now is blues and folk. The movie has received attention for being controversial, an award winner, and critically acclaimed.
Summary of Paradise Now
Shot on location in both Palestine and Israel, Paradise Now is an enthralling drama about the possible motivations and actions of two suicide bombers. Director Hany Abu-Assad meticulously researched the subject before co-authoring the script with colleague Bero Beyer, and fought off a few armed Palestinians in Nablus, which is where the bulk of the film's shooting took place. The story follows two young Palestinian men, Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), whose lives in the West Bank city have ground to a halt. But when a shadowy figure named Jamal (Amer Hlehel) offers them a shot at martyrdom by carrying out a suicide attack in Tel Aviv, the two men's lives are suddenly invigorated. The film follows their final days, as they grapple with their consciences, visit family and friends--and in Said's case, a young woman he has been flirting with--and prepare for the attack. But they find both practical and emotional issues stand in their way, leading to an anguished and entirely moving finale to Abu-Assad's film.
The difficult production of Paradise Now saw crew members abandoning the set amid fears for their lives, location manager Hassan Titi getting kidnapped, a land mine exploding 300 meters away from the set, and Prime Minister Yasser Arafat stepping in to aid the film. Although the subject matter is bleak, Abu-Assad pulls off a masterstroke by lacing the script with black humor, even having the two men nervously joke around as they film their farewell speeches to their families. But ultimately the movie offers a compelling portrait of two men driven to extremes by their beliefs, and examines all the anxieties inherent in such a decision as the one taken with alarming regularity by Palestinian men such as Said and Khaled.
Details
| Language: | Arabic, English |
| Country: | Occupied Palestinian Territory, France, Germany, Netherlands, Israel |
| Release date: | 2 September 2005 |
| Runtime: | 90 min |
Cast and Crew
as Said
as Khaled
as Suha
as Jamal
Photos
Clips
Critics Reviews
TV Guide
- |
- by: Ken Fox
The New York Times
- |
- by: Stephen Holden
