Written and Directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani
Germany/Israel
120 min.
2009
Not Rated
Ajami is a region of Jaffa where Arabs, Palestinians, Jews, and Christians try to live together in an atmosphere that is--to say the least--tense.
Nasri (Fouad Habash) is a teenager whose family is in crisis: his uncle got into trouble with a local crime boss, and in reprisal, his cousin has been murdered. The shooters, it seems, originally intended to kill Nasri's younger brother, Omar (Shahir Kabaha). Abu Elias (Youssef Sahwani), a restaurateur and respected member of the community, steps in to negotiate. Omar agrees to make a cash payment to the gangsters to prevent further violence, but since he doesn't have the money, he raises it by dealing drugs. Meanwhile, Abu has a daughter, Hadir (Ranin Karim), who works at his restaurant; she's fallen in love with Omar, but since she's Christian and he's Muslim, their relationship is a non-starter.
Also working at the restaurant is Malek (Ibrahim Frege), a 16-year-old illegal immigrant who is looking for any kind of job to help pay for his mother's medical treatments. And elsewhere, Dando (Eran Naim) is a policeman drawn into the chaotic life of Binj (Scandar Copti), a suspected drug dealer who has been arrested for attacking a Jewish neighbor.
Ajami won a special distinction award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
"You emerge from Ajami moved and also a little worn out, but mostly grateful for the heart, craft and intelligence the movie has shown." --A.O. Scott, New York Times
