Palestinian childhood friends Said and Khaled are recruited for suicide attacks in Tel Aviv. It focuses on what would be their last days together.

Eschewing the psychological cul-de-sacs of ideology, Paradise Now favors a nuanced look at the social complexities that lead two friends to be recruited as suicide bombers. West Bank locations lend authenticity, as Hany Abu-Assad deftly strikes a balance between compassion and white-knuckle tension.