A bit confused...


I missed a few parts in the movie starting from where Said and Khaled are about to embark on their mission to Tel Aviv. I started watching again from where Khaled goes back to Jamal and them, and Abu-Salim thinks Said might've betrayed them (and from there I missed a few parts again). I was under the impression that Said was the one who didn't want to do the suicide mission. But in the end he's the one who decides to go ahead with the mission while Khaled does not. Why the sudden change of heart?? Did I miss something somewhere in the movie that causes this sudden change? Thanks to anyone who can clear this up for me! :)

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There is a scene where Khaled has a talk with Suha that sheds a little light on his decision. If you watch the movie again, there is another scene where Said explains why he has to go through with it.

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Because their original reactions and emotions towards the situation need to evolve, otherwise their would not be a film.

The changes of emotions are ironic, and these changes enabled the director to both flesh out the men who choose to be suicide bombers and explore multiple points of view about the issue.

By allowing the characters the capacity to change their emotions, he humanized "terrorists", demonstrating to viewers that these men are men, not mindless machines or blind religious fanatics, these are men who think and feel, who consider all the ramifications of their actions, who struggle within themselves to justify their choices, who likely pull the string still unsure whether or not what they are doing is truly helping Palestinians.

Through these emotional struggles, viewers are presented with multiple points of view enveloping the issue, especially deeply-rooted psychological points of view, providing viewers with a balanced volume of political and social discourse pertaining to the Palestinian worldview.

The director wanted to explore an important issue, and he wove as many points of view as he could into the film pertaining to the Palestinian situation, because this was his first major chance to promote the Palestinian cause for a global audience.

Khaled entered the mission a machine, and a man emerged with a strong love for life and a determination to not allow the "occupation" to "kill" his life.

Said entered the mission a man with a strong love for his family and determination to enjoy his life, and deconstructed into a psychologically gridlocked machine, unable to mentally function, emotionally battered to the point of no return [but we do not know if he pulled that string].

The evolution of the characters is the vital element of the film, without which there would have been no film.

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