Film: Paradise Now
This film follows two Palestinian men, Said and Khaled, as they volunteer to go on a suicide bombing mission into Israel. They both record a final video which glorifies Allah and their cause of resistance. The next day they are taken to the Palestinian-Israeli border to complete their mission but once they cross the border they are compromised by Israeli guards. They both run away and are separated. Khaled returns to the resistance group who remove his explosive belt and he is off to find Said, who is missing. Khaled eventually decides not to follow through on the attack as he sees no point to it, but Said still believes it is the right thing to do. I don't want to spoil the film, but the last shot is of Said sitting on a bus with Israeli civilians and soliders...
This is a great movie because it humanizes the people on one side of a conflict who are often demonized without given a fair chance to make their case. Although violence against innocent people is never justifiable, it shows the complex emotions and societal factors that go into making the decision to engage in that level of "resistance." Essentially, the movie brings the human element into the forefront, instead of the violence or conflict.
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