Uneasy viewing ... Paradise Now
Paradise Now is the story of 48 hours in the lives of two men, friends since boyhood, who have been recruited as suicide bombers. The film, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, received official backing from the Israeli government and an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. Its release was postponed after the London tube bombings. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw has called it an "an uneasy experience" and an "important film". The Daily Telegraph deemed it "calm, analytical... the very antithesis of propaganda".
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Catherine Shoard reckoned that "you don't have to be an Islamic fundamentalist to like Paradise Now, but it helps... [It's] not a propaganda film. But it's close; so loaded, so one-sided as to be a decidedly disturbing film to watch. And so well-made it almost doesn't matter. Almost."
But what did audiences make of it? I went to London's Screen On Baker Street and the Curzon Soho to find out.
Jennifer Harbison, 35, London: It was certainly a very powerful film. The notion of a fanatical, crazy-eyed suicide bomber is one we're all familiar with, but we tend not think about what might be behind it. I think it's pretty balanced. It shows how intractable the situation is. We're accustomed to seeing body parts exploding in films, but all you see at the end are his eyes. I find that much more thought-provoking.
Bill Harbison, 61, Massachusetts: It reinforced my conviction that the belief in a single, all-powerful God is the worst thing that can happen.
Katerina Stathopoulou, 41, Athens: As a story, it's nicely made, but I don't know whether you can trust it. Suicide bombing is a very deep issue and I don't think the film explains it. I'm not sure whether the reality can be shown on film. It's more vulgar and incomprehensible than this suggests.
Lourdes Heredia, 36, Mexico: The film's not preaching anything. It's a window onto the lives of these two Palestinian guys. The characters take different positions and have different feelings about suicide bombing: they debate it.
Michael Kostov, Bulgaria: It was about real life in the Arab world.
David Lonsdale, London: It's one of those films that takes a lot out of you and doesn't leave you feeling very pleased with the world. I thought it was going to be very bloody and gory, but it wasn't. I guess the film shows what despair brings people to. You had some sympathy for the position of the bombers, but equally, they were in conflict with themselves.
Justhna Motlib, 27, London: It made you think about what it's like living in the Middle East now. It's not a justification for suicide bombing, it's about the cognitive stuff behind it. You have this idea of bombers being all gung-ho, but these guys weren't. They seemed like they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. It was a good movie: understandable and on the level.
Jemma Burke, 27, Bradford: I thought it was really good dialogue about the pros and cons of violence. I was quite surprised that there was a controversy about it because I didn't think it was a sympathetic portrayal of suicide bombers. I saw Visit Palestine last week and I think everyone should watch both films.
Aktar Mazhar, 71, Pakistan: I made me think about how horrible the situation is and how the world does nothing about it. It's about desperation and how the Palestinians have no options.
Anonymous English man: It didn't change my mind. I applaud the suicide bombers.
