"Paradise Now": A dramatic probe into the minds of suicide bombers

Suicide bombings have become intolerably commonplace. Still, few movies directly deal with the mindset, the rituals or the logistics involved in blowing yourself up for a cause.

Hany Abu-Assad's "Paradise Now" asks the big questions and answers quite a few of them, although its ending is tantalizingly ambiguous. The tight, probing script follows two Palestinian pals and auto mechanics, Said (Kais Nashef) and Khaled (Ali Suliman), as they are recruited from the West Bank city of Nablus to make a strike on Tel Aviv.

Knowing that they may be spending their last night alive, they are forbidden to tell their families or friends about their mission.

Both are committed to undermining Israeli security — and to the idea that they must die together. But Said has just met and flirted with a well-educated young woman, Suha (Lubna Azabal), who plants some doubts in his mind.

Movie review

Showtimes and trailer

"Paradise Now," with Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad, from a screenplay by Abu-Assad and Bero Beyer. 90 minutes. In Arabic, with English subtitles. Rated PG-13 for profanity. Harvard Exit.

Claiming that "we have no other way to fight," pumped full of guarantees that two angels will pick them after they've martyred themselves, Said and Khaled follow the plan until they become separated. The organizers then insist that Said has betrayed them, and they remove the bomb from Khaled, who frantically searches for his friend — who still has a bomb attached to him.

The rest of the movie draws most of its tension from this situation. Will Said be drawn back to arguments about the soul-destroying humiliation of Israeli oppression, or will he listen to Suha? Will Khaled be drawn back to his side, or will Said go to Tel Aviv alone and destroy himself? Everything is up for grabs, especially after Said makes a few confessions about his family history.

Visually arresting (the widescreen format quickly becomes indispensable) and consistently well-acted (especially by the intense Nashef), "Paradise Now" is not without its humorous touches. Broken-down taxis, a malfunctioning video camera, sticky bomb-adhesive tape and a discussion of favorite movie genres all lighten the load somewhat.

But in the end, the movie is deadly serious about a subject that warrants a serious approach.

John Hartl: johnhartl@yahoo.com