They fit the demographic but not the stereotype. I’d expect a person willing to kill himself to be more of a firebreathing fundamentalist in the rest of his life.

I see what you’re saying and I concur.

This is what I mean when I say they were portraying lightly. The most fanatical person in the movie is the ignorant taxi driver. The handlers are morose and without any theological spark. While this makes the preparation segment more haunting, it is something that is clearly missing.

Well said. Far better than I managed to get across.

I’m big on worldview and messages (as you may have guessed) and the lack of condemnation in this film disturbs me. There are the elements Suha brings to the piece but she is ultimately useless. Yeah, she ropes in Khaled but I’m not certain he backs off at the end from a moral choice as much as cowardice.

The film does come down on the side of the bombers by portraying them so lightly. Moreover, they unlying rationale for performing this kind of act isn’t questioned. Hatred of the Jews is fine and everything is their fault, but maybe we shouldn’t blow them up randomly. The thinking is still skewed.

I disagree with your assessment that the two leads don’t conform to our image of suicide bombers. They were lower class, hopeless young men. That’s how I’ve always seen them. What image did you have in your head?

Again, great review.