Hany Abu-Assad was born on October 11,1961 in Nazareth, Israel, where he grew up in a wealthy family in the middle of the chaos of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. His father operated a longstanding family transportation and delivery business. In the 1980’s Abu-Assad’s uncle persuaded him to immigrate to the Netherlands so he could continue his studies. Abu-Assad studied technical engineering in Haarlem; he continued to work in the engineering field for another two years before he opted for filmmaking. Abu-Assad first broke into the business as a producer for a Dutch television show “Dar O Dar”. The show focused on foreign immigrants living in the Netherlands. He as well produced a documentary called “Long Days in Gaza”, which was aired on BBC after completion.
He continued on to form Ayloul Film Production Company in 1990 and, two years later, released the short film “Paper House”, which he both wrote and directed. The film, which was shown on Dutch television and won several awards, follows the story of a thirteen-year-old Palestinian boy who wishes to rebuild his house after it is destroyed. He went on to produce and direct various films many of which won numerous awards including the Gold Pyramid Prize at the Calgary International Film Festival and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Prize at the Cannes International Film Festival.
A majority of his films covered issues that spoke of the social, economic and political issues in his native country. Such as in “Curfew”, which recounted a twenty-four-hour period during a curfew imposed by the Israeli army in a Palestinian refugee camp on the Gaza Strip. As well as the film, “Rana’s Wedding”, which spoke of a young girl in the in East Jerusalem who awakens one day to find that her father is moving to Cairo and, in order to stay in Jerusalem, she must get married before his four o’clock flight out of the city. However the focus of this paper will be Abu-Assad latest award winning film, “Paradise Now”.
“Paradise Now” is the story of two young Palestinians men as they embark upon what may be the last forty-eight hours of their lives. On a typical day in the West Bank city of Nablus, where daily life grinds on amidst crushing poverty and the occasional rocket blast, we meet two childhood best friends, Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), who pass time drinking tea, smoking a hookah, and working dead-end jobs as auto mechanics. Said’s day takes a turn for the better when a beautiful young woman named Suha (Lubna Azabal) brings her car in for repairs. From their spirited interaction, it is apparent that there is a budding romance growing between them.
(Said..one of the main characters in the film alongside Suha that is present in the background)
Said is approached by middle-aged Jamal (Amer Hlehel), a point man for an unnamed Palestinian organization, who informs Said that he and Khaled have been chosen to carry out a strike in Tel Aviv. They have been chosen for this mission as a team, because each had expressed a wish that if either were to die a martyr, the other would want to die alongside the other.
Said and Khaled have been preparing for this moment for most of their lives. They spend a last night at home -- although they must keep their impending mission secret even from their families. During the night Said sneaks off to see Suha one last time. Suha’s moderate views, having been educated in Europe, and Said’s growing conflicted conscience causes him to stop short of explaining why he has come to say good-bye and possibly reconsider his mission.
The film’s theme is quite simple; it discusses the hardships and daily struggle that Palestinians face under occupation, as well as discussing the idea of humanizing suicide bombers.
At first glance, the characters seem to be typical twenty-something's - working frustrating jobs, entertaining thoughts of love, hanging out, and spending time with their families. Underlying all these interactions, however, is the reality of occupation - a lethal, omnipresent force that figuratively, and often literally, is waiting just around the corner. After receiving the news of their selection for the mission they overjoyed to finally have found a way to take their revenge against the constricting Israeli society. Said and Khaled both celebrated in different ways; Khaled enjoys the final night with his family, playing with his younger brother and jokes with the other surrounding family members. However Said observes his mother while doing the simplest tasks. It is as if he had wanted to cherish each possible moment with her before his departure.
Said visits Suha and there he realizes the possibility of a budding romance however he closes the subject because for him now nothing can remain. The next scenes detail the process through which volunteers are taken through; they are cleaned and scrubbed, as they would do for those who had been already dead. They are fed a hearty meal, and the men pray for the last time. These simple actions remind the audience that suicide bombers are in reality humans just as much as anyone else. Through the observation of these actions the audience is able to relate to the bombers yet it can also be considered eerie. These men are similar to those who are on death row; they are as the saying goes “dead men walking”. They are given their final meal and pray for the final time and they share their families and other’s company for the last time.
In my opinion Paradise Now" is a deeply humanizing film that is poignant and timely. It offers a unique view into Palestinian society in an engaging, at times documentary-like, way. The dialogue is powerful and educational, excellently capturing the internal discussions of Palestinian civil society and showing the variety of opinion of a people who are searching for the best route to freedom. Though there could have been a better illustration of the effects of military occupation, and while those with no knowledge of the conflict might not fully understand certain aspects of the film, overall, "Paradise Now" is a stunningly presented story that skillfully covers controversial subject matter. It is a highly recommended film, both for its presentation and its message.
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