Paradise Now (2005) 
Virgins for everybody?
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I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I started this film. But I found this depiction of two suicide bombers to be very engrossing. There was no thought of stopping this to watch the rest later. Overall, I thought the film did a great job of depicting the two main characters as men struggling with the issues of their existence on a daily basis. The film was also shot in Nablus at considerable risk. The shots of Nablus alone made it worth watching for me. Whenever I talk to students about the Middle East suicide bombers often come up because their motivation is so intriguing. This film is like that opening discussion, it seeks to understand and show the circumstances that lead people to take their own lives. It also does a pretty convincing job of showing the faults of the tactics. The only people who I developed strong feelings against were the men running the resistance. The story takes many interesting turns to keep us wondering about what decision the men would make right up until the end. I only give this film an A- because of the woman and Khaled. It seemed like her affection escalated a little too quickly and his transformation also seemed a little abrupt. However, they probably acted that way because of the short time frame of the film.
