For those of you who think you're living your lives on the edge, taking it day by day, living dangerously - and maybe even teetering on the brink of destruction - you should meet Said and Khaled.
"Paradise Now," directed by Hany Abu-Assad, tells the story of two young friends, Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), who work day jobs as car mechanics, but are secretly members of an anonymous militant Palestinian organization.
The two men request that if they have to die for their cause, they die together. In accordance with their wishes they are chosen to carry out a tandem suicide bombing mission in Tel Aviv in response to an assassination.
The rest of the movie chronicles first what could be their last hours alive and then what ensues when their mission runs into several obstacles. Adding to the sense of urgency, both men have bombs attached to their chests throughout much of the movie.
Thrown into the mix is the daughter of the assassin, Suha (Lubna Azabal). Although she has chemistry with Said, her Western education has given her more moderate views, and she does not believe in Said's militancy.
Nashef and Suliman manage to portray their characters with a remarkable level of emotion, which is most apparent in the pensive and pained expressions in their eyes. Even the minor characters, including Said's mother (Hiam Abass), bring a hauntingly realistic intensity of emotion to their roles.
This emotive color is a necessary aspect of "Paradise Now," as the overall lack of physical color in the movie is startling. Staring at earth tones for 90 minutes may sound like a daunting task, but the actors' depth of emotion infuses the film with an entirely different kind of vibrancy.
We find ourselves rooting for the friends to survive - and not just so that their targets aren't killed. Watching how happy Khaled is with his family and the potential between Said and Suha, it is impossible to believe them when they say, "Under the occupation, we're already dead."
The extent to which we feel connected to two people who are part of a group we've been taught to hate is the most exceptional feat of the movie. As first Said and then Khaled waver in their decision to die, all we can do is hope that one can persuade the other out of it.
"Paradise Now," if somewhat slow at times, successfully incorporates the religious aspect of the mission without focusing purely on this angle. When Said and Khaled sit down with the organizers of the mission for what is potentially their last dinner, the shot of 13 men sitting at a long rectangular table has a subtle religious tie-in, paralleling the iconic images of the Last Supper. The mission is referred to at one point as a "martyr operation," and Said and Khaled are told that two angels will come pick them up when they're done.
The movie also pays careful attention to rituals. Both men - after being extensively cleaned - are filmed making an elaborate oath and goodbye message to their parents while holding a gun. The film portrays a part of the terrorist's process not often considered by those on the outside.
In one of the opening shots, Said and Khaled are at their job working at the car shop where one of the cars shown has a bumper sticker that says, we are told, "Looks can be deceiving." By end of the film, "Paradise Now" shows us just how accurate this adage can be.
