Movie Review Thursday

After a long day at work, I popped in this DVD that I had ordered on Netflix. All I can say about this film is watch it. Now. It is so poignant, amazing, unbelievable, shocking, endearing, incredible. I was riveted. The basic plot line follows two best friends in Nablus (Palestine, West Bank) named Said (pronounced Say-eed) and Khaled. They are young men, maybe in their 20s, working a job at a car repair shop in the city. They live with their families, and lead what you might find to be a regular "boring" life. They get the call to become suicide bombers together, and the movie basically starts the day they get the call. They are to leave the next day. The movie follows the two men as they embark on this journey together. I did not find his movie to be propaganda; I think the filmmakers took a fairly "balanced" (if you will) approach to this film in trying to describe the challenges the families in the West Bank face. The men are not overly religious, I think there are a few scenes of people praying, but there does not seem to be a religious undertone to the movie. It's basically the men facing their reality and the fact they cannot get jobs or support their families. They are angry and isolated and to a certain extent, defeated and fatalistic. By doing this bombing, they will be doing more good for their families than they would be doing if they are alive. It's a shocking and wonderful film, giving me a glimpse into what might be going on in the West Bank and all over the Middle East. I am in no way condoning what either side is doing in this war between religions and cultures, but I think it's an interesting film on things going on in parts of the world I am not exposed to on a regular basis. Makes you appreciate where you are. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.