I saw this movie back in 2005 at the Dubai film festival, but I still remember walking away from it with a feeling of ambiguity about what-if-anything the movie had said about the ethics of suicide bombing.
What did you guys take from the movie regarding terrorism?
neither.
it's pro-Israel...avoid it.
The occupation is in the mind.
The terrorism is in the mind.
You are occupying your mind with propaganda and lies.
You are terrorizing your own mind.
That applies to both Palestinians and Israelis.
You are undoubtedly terrorizing your own mind if you think your entire existence is being terrorized and destroyed 24/7 by Palestinian militancy [missile attacks] and terrorism [suicide bombings].
The terrorism exists in your head.
You are undoubtedly terrorizing your own mind if you pretend that checkpoints [every country has a form of checkpoints] are an occupation that terrorizes and humiliates you and destroys your existence 24/7.
The occupation is in your mind.
The propaganda and lies are made by you and destroying you.
Life everywhere is like an imprisonment when we believe in illusions, whether you are living in the Middle East or Europe or the US.
Our weaknesses may be exploited by our own peers and government - and by our own selves in our own quest to build illusions to obscure painful truths.
We turn ourselves into collaborators against ourselves and peers and governments.
We ruin our own beliefs, we ruin our own causes, we bring ruin upon ourselves.
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The filmmakers weren't naming and shaming - no mention of Hamas etc, but the director clearly asked the recruiter character (Jamal?) to play as a total scumbag. He raids the guys bread while he is giving his last words, and clearly doesnt give a *beep* If Jamal was truly righteous he would have gone on the mission himself at all.
I would say strongly anti-terrorism.
Yes, the film is clearly anti-terrorist. The characterizations you mention are one indicator, and the main female character is clearly the voice of reason and conscience that rings true throughout the film.
That said, clearly the filmmaker was not going to gloss over the injustices that make so many Palestinians turn to terrorism, and he lets the would-be bombers make intense speeches that we are meant to sympathize with to quite an extent.
In short, it's clearly anti-violence, but it refuses to reduce the issue to a facile message that overlooks the oppressed position of the West Bank.
But as I watched the film, I knew that this style of subtle, adult message-building would be lost on many viewers, and some of the sad responses in this very thread are proof of how easy it is for simple minds to misconstrue anything that is subtle.
Just saw it. Very definitely anti-terrorist. It's irrelevant if you think "it's the Zionists who are the terrorists!" (my own views aren't far off), the director does not agree with Palestinian suicide bombing either.
Denny Crane.
This movie is very matter of fact in its presentation. It simply presents a normal palestenian's life in the Strip/W.B. It actually explores the reason why you find so many suicide bombers in Palestine: the appalling living conditions coupled with no dignity. Its really very simple. If you push a group of people, steal their land, give them no jobs and cut them off from the world, they are going to be rather desperate and may resort to this measure. Both friends were not very brave or dynamic but pragmatic. Said in fact, was the most skeptical, yet went ahead because he could not lead a dignified way of life with the occupation in full swing.
Owner of Middle Earth!
It is a view of how some people act and react. Like your a fly on the wall.
Can you fly this plane?
Surely you can't be serious.
I am serious, and don't call me Shirley
Nothing is painted in black & white(apart from Bush's "intellect",OK),so this film is neither one nor the other.
It is pro-life.
The feeling of ambiguity is very obvious, but what I feel is that the maker has left an open ending which makes it more real, though there would always be a section which would go after Said ( Sayeed ) but my opinion is that it's an anti terrorism movie presenting an insight and aiming to the introspection. Remember the dialouge, Allah says - Pause and reflect.
shareAnti-terrorism
This movie try to put you in the shoes of the two co-stars of the film and show you how they feel, why they do this and how they convist. Even thought its of course ant-terrorist film because, one of the greatest moments in the film for me, one of the two is showed to realise how they blind them and manipulate their faith and then he is off from the hole plant.
I believe the film is a risk for its director because in a way he deprecates these acts. From the other hand, if its was pro-terrirism film it wouldnt, i believe, be nominated at the American Academy.