Paradise Now (2005)

Director:

Hany Abu-Assad

Writers:

Hany Abu-Assad (writer)
Bero Beyer (writer)

Release Date:

7 September 2005 (Belgium)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Mother Son Relationship | Videotape | Jewish | Jewish Arab Conflict | Terrorism

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 13 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Lubna Azabal	...	Suha
Hamza Abu-Aiaash	...	Checkpoint Soldier
Kais Nashif	...	Said
Lotuf Neusser	...	Car Owner
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

Also Known As:

Paradise Now (France)
Paraíso ahora, El (Argentina) [es]
Paradeisos tora (Greece) [el]
Paradise Now (Spain) [es]
Paradise Now (Brazil) [pt]
Vaat edilen cennet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

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

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Palestine | France | Germany | Netherlands | Israel

Language:

Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:(Banned) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:MG6 | Finland:S | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:M | Portugal:M/12 | Hungary:16 | Iceland:12 | Sweden:11 | Brazil:14 | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Nablus, Palestine

Company:

Augustus Film

Trivia:

When the film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, much controversy surrounded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to designate it as a submission from the Palestinian Authority, rather than Palestine. Due to much protestation from writer-director Hany Abu-Assad, the film was eventually announced by Will Smith as being a submission from the Palestinian territories.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Khaled and and Said are sitting on the rocks waiting to cross the fence, Khaled puts his right hand on Said's shoulder and holds it there. When the shot changes to a different angle, Khaled's right hand is by his side.

Quotes:

Said: You cannot alter your fate. There is no other way. It's God's will.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2006 Independent Spirit Awards (2006) (TV)

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.