Paradise now

Gah. I cant sleep. AGAIN. I think it's because I bathed too late just now. I'm still waiting for my hair to dry. Bleah. I have so many tests later but somehow I dont feel motivated to study for anything at all. Haix.

IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED PARADISE NOW AND IS PLANNING TO WATCH, SKIP THIS.

Anyway, I watched my first public M18 movie last saturday, at the newly opened Picture House. Paradise Now is a movie that has NO VIOLENCE (except for a bloody nose), NO GORE, NO NUDITY. Yeah. At first I was thinking why they had to rate this M18 but by the end of the movie I understood. The movie is disturbing enough in its own right. Ok, spoilers here, haha, but the movie is basically about two friends, Khaled and Said who are tasked to carry out a suicide bombing mission, and all the psychological stuff they undergo. Imagine having a rather good day only to come home and be informed by your religious teacher that you have been chosen for a suicide mission the very next day.How will you react?

I will say that the movie is rather thought provoking. And it's definitely better than my school's drama production. The plot centralised on the themes of friendship and the value of life, which seems to be cheap in this case. I was very irritated especially by the fact that these two guys are so throughly brainwashed( at least to some extent) by their teacher(Jamal), and the fact that their teacher will be rewarded for every successful mission. It's like your teacher sending you to die and later getting paid for his efforts. Gah. The movie also questions the need for such a movement, and whether there are any other alternatives to solve the Palestine problem, which of course, was flatly rejected by the pessimistic extremists. There was also quite a bit of dark humor here and there, the most significant will be the part where the characters visited a video shop where footage of suicide bombers (before carrying out their mission they get a bit of air time, something like saying your will) are available for rent or sale together with the gruesome clips of the collaborators being executed for their deeds. It really questions the logic of this whole suicide movement and the need for it in the first place. Just imagine. When you are dead, you last moments will be distributed like hot cakes to everyone, and some, if not many people will actually profit from your death by selling those videos or CDs. You call this martyrdom? You dont even know if heaven exist in the first place.

Personally, I dont give a damn about patriotism and becoming a martyr. I'm more concern that these people are getting all their priorities wrong. Said, for example, never seems to consider the fact that he will be leaving so many people behind if he is to carry out his mission. His mother, his brother, his girl friend (Cant remember her name sorry). All he cares about is to redeem his father, who was executed for being a collaborator when he was only ten years old.

Anyway, I will not agree with those people who insist that this movie is about advocating suicide bombing etc. To me, this is a movie that focus on a person's thoughts and emotions as he struggled to come to terms with himself.Said is protrayed as a normal man, one who regularly engage in emotional struggle within himself, a man of feelings and morals. (For example when he cannot bring himself to blow up the bus with a kid in it) Khaled is protrayed as a man who cherished friendship and loyalty. (From when he told Said that they will do the mission together and not letting anyone go alone first) But I find his perspection on life kinda conflicting though. Hmmm.

Ok, I'm finally feeling tired. Time for bed to prepare for the challenges later. =)