Paradise Now

When I watch a movie, I like to try to put myself into one of the character's shoes.  I think that this is the best way to understand the message of the film, to just put yourself in there and get the emotion of the characters into your own soul.  However, as I watched Paradise Now I was having trouble placing myself in the position of any of the characters because I simply could not imagine what I would be feeling in their place.  Would I be angry about giving up my life, or would I feel honored that I had been chosen to go forth and make a stand for my country?  Would I be able to keep this secret from my family?  Probably not.  The emotion in this film was so raw, it was difficult to understand the characters' true intentions.  It was very powerful for me just to realize that I did not have the capacity to understand what was going through the minds of these characters, and  to realize that they are representations of real people who sacrifice their lives.  The end of the film had me sitting in complete shock (I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a minute)  as I took in everything that the story had to offer.  

I thought it was interesting to see a face given to the people who participate in these suicide bombings, and see just how dedicated and sincere about their actions they really are.  Although I don't believe I could ever be driven to something as drastic as killing myself and others to promote my cause, it does make me feel a little lame thinking that the things I am truly passionate about, many that have no significance to anyone other than me, I would not be willing to go to these lengths to defend.  It's an eye opener to just how passionate these suicide bombers are when it comes to their cause.  

This movie said a lot about not only the ongoing fights between Israel and Palestine, but about the people that live there and just how human they are; in many ways their way of life and their families are just like ours.  The modern scenery in the movie, much of which I found comparable to scenery here in the US, made me realize that the struggles of these people are just as possible for Americans should we meet the same pressure as was faced by the people portrayed in this film.