The Difference a Movie Paradise Now Makes to Regular Americans Review

The Difference a Paradise Now Makes to Regular Americans - Movie Review Example In Said and Khaled’s televised manifestos, in which they effectively say â€Å"goodbye† to their loved ones, while explaining why they are doing what they are doing, Khaled explains that the Israelis have refused compromise and view allowing Palestinians dignity and respect would be tantamount to the suicide of the Jewish state. Khaled talks about how the Israelis have patently refused even the hint of there being two states on the land, which would seem, to a reasonable person, to be a reasonable compromise. When viewing this particular film, it becomes increasingly obvious that the United States, in always supporting Israel, is operating with a tunnel vision, probably because the Israelis are considered to be a friend to the United States, and the United States has a heavy Jewish population. What is actually right and wrong about the conflict apparently does not factor into the United States policy regarding the Israeli homeland. And, with such a powerful ally as the United States on the side of the Israelis in the Palestine-Israeli conflict, the Palestinians do not have a voice. This is why the suicide bombers, and the other terrorist acts, are occurring – it is because of this sense of desperation about their plight. From the way that the movie portrays the conflict, it would be as if Jim Crow were still the law of the United States’ land, and the treatment of the blacks in Jim Crow were countenanced and approved of by the rest of the world, and the rest of the world was constantly taking the side of the United States government in oppressing the black American. I would imagine if that were the case, the United States would have the kind of long-running, violent conflict, without end, that is seen in Israel. With good reason. Of course, only one side is being presented in this movie, which is fine – the movie does not have to be even-handed, nor should it be. It advocates a certain position, and this is the lens through wh ich the audience views the overall conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That I came away from the movie impassioned about the shabby treatment of the Palestinians at the hand of the Israelis, and angry about how the United States is reflexively pro-Israel, which serves to only further oppress the Palestinians, means that the filmmaker has done his job. Intellectually, I understand that the conflict is much more complex than the movie shows, more complex than I would ever be able to grasp. However, this movie was very effective in portraying the side that it needs to. This is probably the reason why the film won so many accolades, such as an Oscar and a Golden Globe. One of the techniques that the filmmaker uses to make the film’s message compelling is that he uses the story of two ordinary Palestinians, and gives them a backstory. The filmmaker shows them, early on, relaxing with a hookah between them, after getting off of work at the automobile junkyard. We se e that Said has a potential girlfriend, and we also see Said’s family at home – his mother, his younger brother, etc. We know that Said and Khaled are flesh and blood, which gives them a sense of pathos.