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Paradise Now | 2005 | PG-13 | - 1.3.5
Two Palestinian men work together as automobile mechanics, when they are chosen to carry out a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. They spend what is to be their last evening with their families, and the next morning they set off. However, when the two men become separated, their motivations become suspect and the reality of what they were going to do become clear to them. In Arabic with English subtitles. With Lubna Azabel, Amer Hiehel, Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman and Lubna Azabal. Directed by Hany Abu-Assad. [1:30]
SEX/NUDITY 1 - A man and a woman kiss. Two men talk about a woman, and one tells the other that she likes him. A man talks about water being laced with something that diminishes the quality of sperm. Women wear bikinis on a beach.
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VIOLENCE/GORE 3 - A man and a woman struggle with another man who's trying to remove an explosive device attached to his chest; he gets free and runs away, the first man chases him, grabs him by the feet and pulls him down a hill. A man pulls off tape that is holding explosives on another man's chest (the man yells when the tape is pulled).
► Two men plan a suicide bombing of a large city. A man with explosives strapped to his chest considers blowing up a bus stop and a crowded bus. A man with an explosive device strapped to his chest rides in a crowded bus.
► Two men climb through a hole in a high fence, they are chased by soldiers who shoot at them, and they run. We hear gunfire and people duck as they walk along a narrow walkway. A man climbs over a rock wall, he stumbles and falls down.
► A woman walks along a road toward a military checkpoint, an armed soldier searches her bag, and others hold their guns on her.
► Three men argue over a car's bumper and one eventually uses a sledgehammer to break the bumper off the car. A man and a woman yell at each other.
► We see a video of a man and are told he is a martyr who's making a speech, that the tapes are available for purchase or rental, and that videos of collaborators before they are shot are also available. A man holds a gun and poses for a "martyr" videotape and delivers a speech about why he is doing what he is planning to do. A man talks about his father having been murdered. Men talk about wanting to kill enemy collaborators and their families.
► A man has a bloody nose after struggling with another man. Two men urinate against a tree (we hear the splatter).
LANGUAGE 5 - 1 F-word, 1 obscene hand gesture, 1 sexual reference, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (idiot), 4 religious exclamations.
SUBSTANCE USE - Two men smoke a water pipe, a woman smokes a cigarette, and a man smokes a cigarette.
DISCUSSION TOPICS - Martyrdom, religious war, the Palestinian and Israeli conflict, death, suicide bombing, terrorism, fear, equality, morality, indifference, oppression, occupation, racism, death of a parent, death of a spouse, fate, justice, exploitation of people's weakness.
MESSAGE - A life without dignity is worthless.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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