Customer Reviews

Ajami [Blu-ray]

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Since the previous reviewer gave such a good synopsis of this film I will simply say it's a wonderful achievement that's definitely worth your time. Through its various plot lines it reveals several examples of the extremely complex workings of Palestinian society and its troubled intersections with Israeli police. This is not a happy film, but it is engrossing. And might I suggest you stick with it from start to finish, because if you engage in chatter while viewing it, or get up to take a restroom break, you may miss essential elements of the story that will leave you completely in the dark for the remainder of the film (which happened to a friend of mine who accompanied me to a theatrical screening - he took a restroom break for five crucial minutes of the convoluted story and was completely lost when he returned).

Finally, the previous reviewer said this film was co-directed by two Israelis, but I was told that one of the directors is Israeli and the other Palestinian (which would make for a far more interesting point-of-view rather than the more singular point-of-view of two Israelis).

In the genre of the great Brazilian urban films City of God and City Below, and genius Italian neo-realism cinema of Rosselini and DeSica, this is a gripping Israeli neo-realistic crime art film that explores the tensions of life amongest the ethnic melting pot that comprises the population of Israel: Jews, Muslim and Christian Israeli-Arabs. Steering away from Middle East politics for a welcome change, all groups are portrayed with great humanity and understanding played by an excellent cast of non-professional actors trained for this film in a very unique style shown in the Special Features section. Interestingly, these Israeli-Arabs, residents of a Jaffa slum bordering Tel Aviv speak Arabic richly laced with Hebrew words and phrases. Excellent film that I recommend highly. Other than I Love You Rosa, this is probably the best film to come out of Israel, at least in the past 20 years, and it's too bad it didn't win a well deserved Oscar for Best Foreign Film. I loved it both times I saw it: in the theater and on DVD.

I rented "Ajami" because it was a recent Best Foreign Language Oscar nominee which has been about as good a recommendation as I can think of for a film. "Ajami" lived up to those expectations and then some. The film, as I understand it, is about Palestinians living in or near Israel. I understand from other reviews that this is an Israeli film which gives me pause to consider. I cannot speak to the authenticity of its' portrayal of the different communities so I leave those potential criticisms to more authoritative reviewers. For me, I was drawn into a sense of reality that I readily accepted. In doing so, I was able to truly enjoy "Ajami". Most every character in "Ajami" has their own shortcomings. There are no good guys vs. bad guys although there are some better and some worse. The life style we see in "Ajami" is problematic on many levels and I concluded that revealing these challenges is the purpose of the film. At times there are unfinished issues in the movie while at times there are issues revisited with a twist.

The situation regarding Israel and her Arab neighbors is one of the worlds biggest dilemnas. Many offer varied solutions but the reality is that, uless all sides find a way to get along together, there will only be winners and losers. That merely continues the problem. "Ajami" gives me a better focus on the humanity of trying to get by day to day in a powder keg.

Sort of the Middle East version of the film "Crash", where the lives of individuals of various hostile ethniciites eventually collide and lead to unforeseen outcomes. This movie was apparently produced as a cooperative effort between members of two nationalites chronically at war with each other, and it relied heavily on ordinary people and very appealing non-professional actors as well. The results are actually stunning in their dramatic value and sense of reality conveyed. This is a long subtitled film, so some patience is required.

SPOILER ALERT:
This powerful movie takes place within the Israeli Arab community, mainly within the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa. It's in a mixture of Arabic and Hebrew -- sometimes the two blend within the same sentence. It begins with a gangland killing and ends in a tragic shootout.

It takes some time to realize that the film is broken up into separate chapters that we the audience do not see consecutively. Thus only when the final chapter is complete does the whole picture come into focus. A fascinating addition to the DVD is a short documentary showing how the directors found the amateur actors who populate this movie and how they were able to coax such convincing performances from them, often working without a script.

There are many interesting subtexts within this movie. We see the complicated interplay of different factions within the Palestinian community. A love affair between a Palestinian Christian girl and Muslim boy becomes a kind of doomed, Romeo and Juliet relationship. The Israeli Arabs and the Palestinian "undocumented workers" who sneak in from the West Bank view each other with mutual distaste. An Arab in a relationship with an Israeli Jewish woman from Tel Aviv is seen by his friends as a traitor. All these people live side by side -- but separately.

An Israeli police officer, effectively portrayed by a former policeman, seems to behave with inexplicable brutality -- until it becomes clear there is a reason for that too.

There is something almost Shakespearean about this movie. The characters are trapped in a sequence of events that none of them can stop, leading to an inevitable tragedy. Everyone behaves with perfect logic from their own viewpoint -- and the outcome is terrible.

Oh, Ajami.

First I was upset that you were only playing in the East Coast, and I living in the Bay Area, felt rather deprived. Then I was delighted to try to catch you during my visit to NYC and thus make it even more special of a viewing experience.
But of course, I soon discovered--during my NYC stay of course-- that you would be showing up to Bay Area screens after all. Oh, the irony! But one which I actually welcomed...

So I finally was able to see this movie, and I must say I was rather pleasantly surprised.
I have seen many movies surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and I must say Ajami provides a very convincing narrative. The setting of Ajami, a neighborhood of the Jaffa - Tel Aviv metropolis, ensures that a variety of people and situations-- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim-- will be encountered. An Arab - Jewish creation (Palestinian Scandar Copti and Jewish Israeli Yaron Shani), with a virtually unknown cast and a natural, unrehearsed feel, this film will not disappoint.
Expect twists and turns, expect issues you've probably never thought of as part of this conflict, expect a surprise ending.

It is not a "happy" movie, but few worth seeing ever are.

In our societies, when we think about the Middle East, what comes to mind might be the Israel-Palestine conflict, the war in Iraq, and maybe Iran - that's it. But we easily forget that the people in that region are affected in their everyday life by many of the problems that plague our society, too. That's what I got when I watched "Ajami," a riveting tour de force of daily life in one community in Israel, one of those films that you won't forget.

The stories included in "Ajami" take place mostly in the Ajami neighborhood, located in Jaffa, a city incorporated with Tel-Aviv, in which Muslims, Christians, Jews and others co-exist in what appears to be a very fragile environment. The film begins with the assassination of Yihyah, a young man who was mistaken by somebody else, and paid with his life. The crime was witnessed by Nasri (Fouad Habash), a child whose voice tells us the origin of this horrible incident. It all started when a Bedouin went to Nasri's uncle's business to demand protection money. The uncle "makes the mistake" of shooting the criminal, which was a truly bad move, because the Bedouin belonged to the powerful Abul-Zen Clan, which will not rest until everybody in Nasri's family is decimated. So, as Nasry says, "the worst time of my life began." Nasri is moved out of town by his mother. However, his brother, Omar (Shabir Kabaha), stays and tries to find a way out. For this purpose, he seeks the help of Abu-Lias (Youssef Sahwani), a café owner with connections. He informs Omar that they want to kill him, and that money is the only solution. So Omar and Abu-Lias meet a mediator and the gang leaders, and it is agreed that he has to pay the Clan 35,000 Dinars ($57,000), in order that he and his family can be spared. This, of course, is almost impossible. The movie is divided in chapters, and in the first three we meet other characters with similar problems, all of which are connected at the end, providing us with a big, dramatic picture, one that hits you in the gut. And you thought you had problems.

"Ajami" is what life is all about, and, in addition of entertaining, it really adds to your knowledge in understanding those cultures a little better. The film was deservedly nominated for the 2010 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, and won numerous others, including five awards at the Israeli Film Academy, two being for Best Film and Best Directors (Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani). The magnificent Blu-ray edition is loaded with extras, such as deleted scenes, trailer, a documentary about the actors (mostly non-professional), and more. (Germany/Israel, 2009, color, 120 min plus additional materials)

Reviewed on October 6, 2010 exclusively by Eric Gonzalez for [...]

A powerful film, by courageous filmmakers. Very hard to watch, and little makes sense, in the realm of anyone who wishes for a sense of peace and understanding. It, apparently, can't happen, and that's upsetting. "Ajami" is brilliant in its display of frustration from all. Senseless brutality from both sides. Glad I live in the USA, where we only have to fight idiot politicians.

Ajami is a really interesting look at Israeli society. Showcasing the gritty side of Israel, outside the glitzy buildings of Tel Aviv and the religious plurality of Jerusalem, this film shows the tougher side of Jaffa and the struggles of Jewish and Arab residents and how their paths cross towards the end. I think this film is great for those who are interested in Israeli society and the interaction between both Arabs and Jews. The plot can be a little choppy due to its chapter system, but in the end, it finishes well and makes you think hard.

Ajami is a haifa's neighborhood. A cresol of cultures where different points of view exist and collide; a hazardous wasteland where Muslims and Christians are forced to live. Through the lives and times of several personages, we are witness about how messy and compelling the situation becomes till the boiling point is reached.

Nasri (13)is a teenager who lives scared. Malek (the main feature) is a Palestine refugee who works ilegally in Israel, whose admiration and love for his elder brother and the serious health state of his mother forces him to cross over certain forbidden rules, and Binj is a rich Palestine who dreams with a promissory future together with his Jew girlfriend.

These intersections of fate will make its appearance to twist and bend hopes and illusions; dreams and projects in this messy territory where the uncertainess rules and survive today is the main priority.

A formidable movie whose realism and graphic crudeness have become a referential and one of the ten best films of this year.