Paradise Now

Enjoyable and engaging story that does a pretty good job contextualizing the experience of a suicide bomber. It does, however, have some rather heavy handed sermonizing in places and some of the changes of heart by the main characters seem rather sudden. Nashef does an excellent job, though, as the despondent and conflicted extremist.

Ignoring the real forces at play behind Palestinian terrorism - indoctrination since childhood, radical Islamism, antisemitism, this subtle propaganda film spins the touching yarn of two handsome youths who by no fault of their own decide to snuff a busful of innocent lives. It even spares us the horrific key scene - the mass-murder, presumably because the dead Jews are not the issue. Its climax consists of Said moping about how his dad's being a collaborator was a blow to the family's dignity.

One of the best movies I have ever seen. Moving, thought provoking.

A thought-provoking drama that is not for the easily disturbed.

Hey, it's that guy from The Syrian Bride.