Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Cast: Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal, Amer Hlehel, Hiam Abbass 

The official website ...
see
wip.warnerbros.com/paradisenow/

At the Berlin International Film Festival 2005, it garnered the Blue Angel Award 
It has also been recently nominated in the Best Foreign Film category for Golden Globe Award.


My thoughts ...
-- The ending scene was among the best ... and the credits started rolling ... in silence ... most audience would be rooted their seats ... probably in silence ... The starting scene also began in silence ... as the audience were made to worry if a bomb would trigger at the security pass ... hmmm, the scariness of silence ...
-- Also commendable was its authenticity, the film looked realistic ... 
-- Finally, there were food for thoughts ... as the director and scriptwriter tried to portray the other side of the story ... that if the oppressors could portray themselves as victims ... so could the protagonists who were killers portray themselves as victims ... would the world change because of the suicide bombing? or would nothing change? ... would the bombings work? would the humanity programs work? or would anything work at all? ... of course the film would not have worked if the two main protagonists did not carry it thorugh ... most audience would note how different the characters have changed through the hours ... especially in their looks ... hiaks hiaks ... but also in their rationalizing ... and emotions ... as they stepped nearer towards their promised Paradise ...

What could be better ...
-- Hmmm, I am not sure if the car repair scenes were meant to be humorous or sad (in reality, it could happen) ... but it probably laid the foundation for them to be fired so that their family would believe they were going Israel to work ...
-- As I expected a "thriller" (because many marketing and review seemed to suggest so), I have to admit that there were times when it was not as gripping ...

Conclusion:
Recommended ... mainly for its message of peace and its authentic feel.