Paradise Now Sparknotes

The film, Paradise Now, begins with a woman named Suha, arriving at one of the guard stations entering into Palestine. The main characters, Said and Khaled, are shown working at a mechanic shop, going about their day. In that instance, Khaled and Said are having trouble with a customer, but Khaled over reacts causing him to get fired. Soon after, Suha arrives at the mechanic shop to pick up her car, and meets Said, having an instant connection, which foreshadows her importance in the film. Their childhood dream has always been to die together as martyrs. Since Khaled no longer has a job and Said being his best friend, they both get recruited for a mission by a terrorist group to become suicide bombers. The next day, their cleansing ritual begins with their farewell videos, by sending a message to the community about god and by saying goodbye to their families. There is a difference in tone, however, between the two men. Khaled’s tone is heart felt, when bidding farewell to his mother, while Said speaks in an uncaring tone. Afterwards, they’re clean shaven, dressed in the bombs and suits and blessed before their departure.

Quickly following their cross into Israel they stumble upon an obstacle, having to retreat back to Palestine because of the guards shooting at them. In the run, Khaled immediately returns to the car that dropped them off while Said hovers nearby, waiting to go back across the border. While the terrorist group moves to another location because of Said’s disappearance in order to maintain security, Said decides to continue with the terrorist attack on his own. Said stands in a bus stop, considering to set the bomb off but does not follow through. Instead, he decided to return to the drop off area across the border in Palestine, but the car is no longer