Review of Ajami (2009) by Ceph J — 06 Sep 2010
"Ajami" is a multiethnic neighborhood in Israel with Jews and muslims, christian muslims and unorthodox muslims, and good citizens vs drug pushers. If you imagine that bullets will fly and characters will die, then you're right. Why is there so much pain and tragedy in the middle east? It seems your fate is determined by your ancestry and culture.
Such is the fate of Malek (a sweet kid) who's trying to get money to pay for surgery for his mother. He hooks up with a targeted Omar whose uncle filled a family member of a mafia. There's another subplot about a Jewish cop looking for his kidnapped brother. This is a bleak tale that ends in Shakespearan tragedy. Filmed documentary-style, upclose and with a hand-held camera, the viewer feels upclose to the action. However, I think it's a big flaw that the filmmakers don't tell the story in linear approach. It's confusing how they try to mimic "Crash" with so many characters and story lines, and some told in flashback. Since this is heavy melodrama, just let the adequate actors tell the story.
The most enlightening scene is when the conflict is determined by a muslim judge in financial terms. It's almost funny. In "Crash" LA folks only related when faced with a crisis. In "Ajami" it's all about citizens are misunderstood...can't jews and muslims get along? That's a rhetorical question.
This review of Ajami (2009) was written by Ceph J on 06 Sep 2010.
Ajami has generally received very positive reviews.
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