A Reward too Small

Can revenge become a God? In Greek Mythology, Nemesis was the goddess of revenge, exacting punishment on those who committed hubris (extreme arrogance). She was unforgiving, punishing everyone equally. The Egyptians worshiped the God Petbe, who also represented and unforgiving vengeance.

The movie “Paradise Now”, revenge and God play an integral role as we follow to suicide bombers, Said and Khaled. Khaled wants to exact revenge on the Israelis for their hubris, the arrogance they show by flaunting their riches and pretending to be “victims” as he puts it. Said wants to prove that, though his father was a weak "collaborator”, he is not, and feels that he must do this in order to bring honor back to his family.

Sadly, the audience also witnesses how used they are. The cell that sends them on this “important mission” to bomb a wedding merely treats them as a means to an end. They show them no support or care, and nothing but what they can do for the “ideal” matters. This is shown through the bumbling manner in which all situations outside of ritual are handled. Before they undergo the cleansing, which involves the cutting of hair and cleaning of the body, they film their martyr tape. What is to be a courageous speech by Khaled on the injustice of Israel and His holy quest is stalled when the camera turns out to be broken and he must repeat himself over and over, while obviously looking unnerved about what he is about to do. Later, he finds out his tape is being sold for next to nothing in the photo shop around the corner, and that he is one of hundreds that have never been seen or sold.

The twist of this movie is when the two, Said and Khaled, are separated at the beginning of their mission after crossing the Israeli boarder. They are spooked when a patrol car passes by and return running back to Pakistan, separating in the process. Unfortunately, this gives them time to really think about what they are doing, having the reminder of plastic explosives tied around their waists wherever they go. Said, unable to find Khaled, returns to Israel, looking to complete the mission. Khaled returns to Pakistan with the cell leader, awaiting Said’s return. During this time, the two make discoveries that later seal their fates at the end of the movie.

But what I find most intriguing is the title. “Paradise Now” sounds like it is a quest to bring paradise to Earth. The quest for paradise, for escape, is brought up in the movie many times. Khaled, when driving with the daughter of a famous martyr in search of Said, says “I’d rather have paradise in heaven than live in this hell.” To which she replied, “So you would turn this into your personal war?” I think that this sums up the heart of the movie’s argument. As the audience watches the actions of these characters, we see that their reasons are not holy at all, but rather selfish. And in the end, a bus full of people does get blown up (I will not give away who goes through with the “mission” as it was only one of them), and the director gives a clear message through the final scene. There is a white light, brightness, and then nothing. Completely black. No paradise. Just darkness.

I believe that this message is something that is made stronger having seen the lives of the two characters. They were not heroes, or courageous. Just men who having been embittered by poverty, grasped at any prospect of hope they could find, even a false one, and in the end, were used and discarded. There was no “paradise now”. They worshiped their revenge, not God, and in doing so, paid a price so high for a reward too small. The one who died is now nothing more than a video, lying dusty on the shelf of a rundown Photoshop, and no one outside of his family will know what he did or who he was.

I definitely recommend this movie to everyone. It is a realistic showing of what vengeance can do to our hearts if we let it.