[IslamCity] Re: “Paradise Now”: Popularity does not mean Credibility

Thu, 02 Mar 2006 15:07:16 -0800

I hadn't seen this film before or read anything about it. So I was expecting the usual bias, even tho' it was directed by a Palestinian.
 
However, I was pleasantly surprised and found it a good film. Gripping, emotional, thought provoking, saying a lot with a few words. The audience at Brock University, mostly English Canadians, very few Arabs in the audience, sat dead silent at the conclusion and filed out of the theatre in silence.
 
The article below is critical of Paradise Now. From the perspective of someone living in Nablus I can see all his points. Although I think he's looking for perfection and is therefore overly critical. I think this movie is more intended for a non-Palestinian audience. Palestinians already know the situation - they live it. Non-Palestinians don't. I recognized many local Jewish people in the Brock audience. The movie was probably very revealing for them particularily. The woman from the Brock Film Studies Program introduced the film this way, "...directed by Hany Abu-Assad, from Nablus and Bethlehem, who "calls himself a Palestinian"..." Well that remark was very revealing too, about the challenges the filmaker has to over-come.
 
Onwards, Susan.

Montreal Muslim News <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
MMN Note: This review was written by a citizen of the city of Nablus whose home was invaded and occupied by Israeli forces, a man who was personally used as a human shield. His opinion of Paradise Now may be be considered as typical of people actually residing in Palestine.

“Paradise Now”
Popularity does not mean Credibility
by Alaa Yousuf

The question of “suicide bombings” deeply concerns me as well as the majority of Palestinians. Despite the injustices we Palestinians experience from the Israeli occupation, persuading young men to commit “suicide” and kill innocent Israeli civilians is morally reprehensible. Since September 11 and the Madrid Bombings terrorism has attracted a lot of interest from filmmakers and the media. Due to the topical nature of this issue, many film companies have chosen to produce films and documentaries about suicide missions. However, very few have succeeded to produce original, insightful or objective reports. On the contrary, most have chosen to exploit this issue for popular gain and produce sensational representations, failing to explain the causes of this difficult and sensitive topic.

As a resident of Nablus, I was optimistic when I heard that a film was going to be released about suicide missions, set both in Nablus and directed by a Palestinian. I expected that a Palestinian would present the real reasons behind the “suicide mission” as well as the psychological factors, which lead a young man destroy his life in such a senseless manner. However, this film left me disappointed. Paradise Now did nothing to show the inhumane conditions Palestinians are living in which compel them towards suicide missions. Many bombers come for Palestine’s refugee camps where they live in exile and poverty. Many young men have no work. Thoroughly misguided, strapping bombs to themselves and “sacrificing” their lives for their country is their way of deriving purpose in life.

Instead of this stark reality, Paradise Now showed depictions of militants moving through the old city of Nablus looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. This was obviously to impress western viewers and convince them that Nablus is a perilous war zone. Paradise Now simply showed audiences what they wanted to see. Residents of Nablus know that while there are security problems, there is another positive side to life here. During the day, the old city is safe, full of bustling markets and life. Nablus is dangerous at night when Israeli forces invade it.

The film can be summarized as the story of two young friends who each set out on a suicide mission to Tel Aviv. However, as a resident of Nablus there were a number of inconsistencies in the story, which made this film hard to believe. When the leader of the suicide cell put more pressure on one of the youths to carry out the attack, he acted as if he had no emotions. The militants were shown as cruel and with hearts of stone. There were no hugs or even a tear. On the contrary, Arab culture is well known for its open displays emotion, even by “terrorists”.

The reason behind conducting the suicide operation was very weak. The Israelis killed one of the Palestinian leaders returning to Palestine after signing Oslo Agreement in 1993. This man did not belong to an Islamic faction. However, a retaliation suicide attack was planned nevertheless. It would have been more likely that an attack would have come from an ordinary Palestinian who had lost their home or a family member. Occupation forces frequently enter the city to arrest or assassinate suspected militants. The result of these operations is that many innocent Palestinians are killed. The State of Israel also has a policy of demolishing Palestinian homes that belonged to suspected militants. They do this without a thought to the families or young children. Paradise Now also could have used the story of the Jenin massacre as a reason for the suicide attacks. Instead, our director preferred to choose the killing of a petty politician to justify the killing of dozens of Israeli civilians.

The daughter of the murdered politician was an important character in the story. However, the behavior of this girl was not normal compared to the citizens of Nablus who are traditional and conservative. For example, the girl lives alone and opens the door of her flat for a stranger at dawn, something very unusual for women in an Islamic culture. She also exchanges kisses with one of the suicide bombers before leaving to conduct the operation. This girl does not even speak with a Palestinian accent.

This girl tried to convince the suicide bomber to change his mind, but she did not use sensible arguments. She said that there was no paradise and that nothing would change. It would have been better to use logical arguments. The girl should have explained that killing innocents is contrary to Islam and that such attacks will negatively impact the Palestinian community. She could also have explained the importance of media in the international community in putting pressure on Israel to the occupation. She could have spoke about the embarrassment Israel gets by using the non-violent means of resistance. She could have explained the gift suicide bombers are for the Israeli occupation, allowing them to justify invasions, sieges and the confiscation of land by the apartheid wall.

In another badly scripted scene, Paradise Now shows the scene where the suicide bomber reads his farewell message to his mother. He was reads it in front of the camera however, the camera operator discovers that the batteries need charging. The young man is asked to repeat his message again as if he was reading an ordinary news report. While he reads the message, his comrades eat sandwiches. This scene tries to show the Palestinian resistance at its worst and most disgusting levels. In truth, suicide bombers are highly respected and revered by the groups that carry out their attacks. They would not treat their comrades in this fashion.

Paradise Now negatively affects the image of the conflict. This film is nothing more than an exploitation of peopleÂ’s suffering. I would like to know why the Israeli occupation authorities agreed to help produce this by recruiting its soldiers and allowing access to the occupied territories. Israel only permits films that suit its policies and ideological viewpoint.

It is important to mention that the film director encountered problems while filming in the city of Nablus. His film was not welcome by the people and he had to bribe Palestinian gunmen to provide him with safety. That is how he managed to record his film; with the protection of militants and not by the citizens themselves. I challenge this director to show his film in the city of Nablus. One judge of the quality of this film is showing it in front of the families of martyrs. If those people say that this film is good then this is the real golden prize and not the one given by the Americans.

Paradise Now received awards from western audiences that have little understanding of the conflict. While the film was highly praised, it is important to remember that very few of the critics would have been to the Middle East let alone the Palestinian territories. Paradise Now was received well because it conformed to pre-conceived perceptions of the conflict. This film was addressed directly to western audiences, which wish to see one-dimensional representations of the Middle East. In brief, this film was not interested in providing an objective and thought provoking explanation for the conflict. Unlike western audiences, the people of Nablus must live daily with this conflict. Paradise Now was an insult because of its blatant manipulation and exploitation of this sensitive topic. The fact that the director was Palestinian made little difference. Instead, it made audiences feel what they were seeing was authentic. In reality, Paradise Now was an opportunity for film buffs and petty intellectuals to posture and feel they understand something they do not.

The director of Paradise Now should apologize to the international filmmakers who have come to Palestine not for commercial gain, but to produce original and meaningful films. Unfortunately, Paradise Now will make it difficult for other filmmakers to come in the future in order to convey the reality of the conflict and the suffering of the people. Paradise Now confirms the adage that popularity does not mean credibility.













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