syrian bride and paradise now
Syrian bride and Paradise Now
Saw two really good movies this fall- Syrian bride is a movie set in the Golan Heights, the area disputed between Israel and Syria. The people who live there are without status... This story is of a bride trying to get married and reach Syria, once she crosses the border between the disputed territories and Syria she will get a Syrian passport. But because of new legislation (which means a stamp) she is not allowed to cross the border. The bride’s family and the grooms family wait on either side of the border. The nightmare of paperwork for people without the right documents is well documented here, showing official rules, egos and officious officials. The United Nations peacekeeping force woman official, who runs from one barbed wire border to the other trying to have either party compromise so that the wedding can go on, is well enacted..
The movie was interesting it had two very strong women characters- Syrian brides sister and her, and the choices and the courage they represent in their lives. It had lots of interesting characters to fill out the movie, the sister’s insecure husband, her two daughters, the brides cool brother.
Paradise now is a movie set in Palestine depicting the life of two suicide bombers. The movie has nice vignettes of home life and work in Palestine. The daily border crossings, the lack of good jobs, strong family bonds and community support. It shows the effects of the occupation without showing any obvious references to Israel. The movie reflects on the repercussions of being a son of a collaborator, and the son of a martyr. It depicts the guilt, frustrations and anger the sons and daughters face. It has one of the same actresses as in the Syrian bride, and she played another strong role in this movie, as the mother of the bomber. The bomber’s women friend is also enacted well. She has moved from Morocco to Palestine and is getting used to life under siege and occupation as an outsider. She tried to reason with Amir, the main character and his best friend at the uselessness of the cycle of violence and hatred. She was dealing with the death of her father at the hands of the Israeli army. She asks Amir and his friend what the point of the bombing would be, other than continuing the cycle of retaliation.
Both movies show strong powerful women, who try and change men’s mind towards violence. Often their own lives being a representation of that non-violent change.
Saw two really good movies this fall- Syrian bride is a movie set in the Golan Heights, the area disputed between Israel and Syria. The people who live there are without status... This story is of a bride trying to get married and reach Syria, once she crosses the border between the disputed territories and Syria she will get a Syrian passport. But because of new legislation (which means a stamp) she is not allowed to cross the border. The bride’s family and the grooms family wait on either side of the border. The nightmare of paperwork for people without the right documents is well documented here, showing official rules, egos and officious officials. The United Nations peacekeeping force woman official, who runs from one barbed wire border to the other trying to have either party compromise so that the wedding can go on, is well enacted..
The movie was interesting it had two very strong women characters- Syrian brides sister and her, and the choices and the courage they represent in their lives. It had lots of interesting characters to fill out the movie, the sister’s insecure husband, her two daughters, the brides cool brother.
Paradise now is a movie set in Palestine depicting the life of two suicide bombers. The movie has nice vignettes of home life and work in Palestine. The daily border crossings, the lack of good jobs, strong family bonds and community support. It shows the effects of the occupation without showing any obvious references to Israel. The movie reflects on the repercussions of being a son of a collaborator, and the son of a martyr. It depicts the guilt, frustrations and anger the sons and daughters face. It has one of the same actresses as in the Syrian bride, and she played another strong role in this movie, as the mother of the bomber. The bomber’s women friend is also enacted well. She has moved from Morocco to Palestine and is getting used to life under siege and occupation as an outsider. She tried to reason with Amir, the main character and his best friend at the uselessness of the cycle of violence and hatred. She was dealing with the death of her father at the hands of the Israeli army. She asks Amir and his friend what the point of the bombing would be, other than continuing the cycle of retaliation.
Both movies show strong powerful women, who try and change men’s mind towards violence. Often their own lives being a representation of that non-violent change.
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