Okay, so I saw it

I wasn't sure if I should or not, and really, I am not convinced, but this afternoon I saw "Paradise Now". It is an incredibly difficult film to talk about, because it is so completely wrapped in a tight wad of emotions that encase the Palestinians. Particularly this week, with the huge success of Hamas in the Palestinian elections.

The actors are quite spectacular, but somewhat understated. The scenes of Nablus (which I have never been to) and Tel Aviv (which I have) are familiar, and yet foreign. The rubble and dust is tangible, it sticks to the inside of your nose. I think that they did a very good job at giving a glimpse of what the experience is like for those who choose this path. But I can only guess as to this.

I felt like crying at the end, but only because of the ordeal of the "Will he, or won't he?" of the whole thing. He does. The final scene; he (Said) sits in the middle of a bus filled with young soldiers and Tel Aviv'niks. The camera pulls closer and closer into his eyes, the sounds fades away to silence, we wait for what we know will happen, and wonder just how the Director will show the inevitable. It is all from Said's point of view. There are no sirens, no bloodied and blown out roofs of the red Eged bus. No charred remains. Only a fade to white, in a Hiroshima-like manner.

Then credits roll. We staggered from the theatre in the darkness as the credits crawl their way to the sky. A walk back to the car in wonderment of how this can happen.