Ajami

Critics Consensus

This multi-character drama balances intimate portrayals and broad political implications to paint a bracing and moving portrait of the Middle East conflict.

Ajami Photos

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Movie Info

Palestinian Scandar Copti and Israeli Yaron Shani collaborated on this independent drama, which examines how the troubled relationship between their countries colors everyday life in the Middle East. Nasri (Fouad Habash) is a teenager whose family is in crisis: his uncle got into an altercation 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), in lieu of the cousin. 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. 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, they can't acknowledge their feelings in public. 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; Dando is also preoccupied with the fate of his brother, who has suddenly gone missing. Ajami won a special distinction award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Drama
Directed By:

Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
Written By:

Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
In Theaters:

Feb 3, 2010 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Aug 24, 2010
Box Office:

$500,000
Runtime:

120 minutes
Studio:

Kino International

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Cast

Shahir Kabaha
as Omar

Ibrahim Ferrer

Ibrahim Frege
as Malek

Fouad Habash
as Nasri

Youssef Sahwani
as Abu Elias

Ranin Karim
as Hadir

Eran Naim
as Dando

Scandar Copti
as Binj

Abu George Shibli
as Sido

Nisrin Rihan
as Ilham

Elias Sabah
as Shata

Nisrine Rihan
as Ilham

Ghassan Ashkar
as Nasri's Uncle

Sigal Harel
as Dando's sister

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News & Interviews for Ajami

Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon

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Critic Reviews for Ajami

All Critics (68) | Top Critics (25) | DVD (1)

What comes through is that the troubles besetting Muslims and Jews and their emotional responses are similar in nature. The people involved have so much in common.

Jan 12, 2018 | Full Review…

Ed Koch
The Atlantic
Top Critic
The pattern of connections and coincidences is a little overschematic, but the movie has energy, especially in the grippingly real shooting scene at the beginning.

Jun 17, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Top Critic
A rare film that will force you to confront your own prejudices.

Jun 17, 2010 | Rating: 4/5

Matt Bochenski
Little White Lies
Top Critic
This is vividly challenging, utterly inclusive and heartfelt cinema. It's not only gripping to watch, but it'll open your eyes to the intractable human conundrums behind the blood-stained headlines.

Jun 16, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Trevor Johnston
Time Out
Top Critic
The performances are searingly intense, all delivered by non-professionals cast to type and extemporizing within the parameters of the script. They take the play out of acting, and the effect is unvarnished realism.

May 28, 2010 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
Top Critic
The fact that these two Israelis from opposite camps worked together to make this movie is as important as the movie itself.

Apr 29, 2010 | Full Review…

Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
Top Critic
Ajami is not pretty and it's not heart-warming - the threat of violence is always looming - but it is emotionally gripping, and it puts you right in its midst.

Aug 30, 2018 | Full Review…

Deborah Ross
The Spectator
It's a dark, unsparing vision, yet what makes watching bearable, even pleasurable, is Copti and Shani's humane intelligence.

May 17, 2018 | Full Review…

John Powers
NPR's Fresh Air
Its sense of ambiance, most apparent during scenes of simple conversation between characters, more than compensates for the cinematic overdetermination.

Sep 24, 2014 | Full Review…

Chris Chang
Film Comment Magazine
Una contundente ópera prima, narrada en forma fragmentaria a la manera de Amores Perros o Crash, que retrata con brutal honestidad la vida en un conflictivo vecindario de Jaffa. Estupendo elenco de actores no profesionales.

Jun 2, 2011 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Enrique Buchichio
Uruguay Total
Gripping modern-day drama about crime and tensions among the Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs.

Sep 21, 2010 | Rating: A | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
... acutely insightful about the social divisions within Israel, but it examines them without scolding or sentimentality.

Sep 4, 2010 | Full Review…

Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com

View All Critic Reviews (68)

Audience Reviews for Ajami

Nov 27, 2011

Directed by a Palestinian and an Israeli, this film tells the stories of several men in Israel/Palestine who struggle in the midst of colonization and ethnic hatred. It wasn't until over an hour into the film that I finally figured out what was going on. The directors use an Tarantino-esque style of fractured narration and points of view, and though it may have been my fault - I might have been slow on the uptake - the story-telling was not as crisp as Tarantino, who is able to introduce all his characters in a short period of time without letting plot lines dangle too long. That said, once Ajami revealed itself, I found it remarkably compelling. Every moment rang with verisimilitude, and it felt like I was watching real people's lives unfold in a tragic, star-crossed land. Compared to other genuine films about Israel/Palestine, like Laila's Birthday, Ajami is much darker, almost hopeless. Its message is a desperate condemnation of the hatred and violence that suffuse everyday life in the directors' homelands. Overall, I think now that you know you can trust the directors' storytelling - that you know that it all makes sense by the end - you might be able to enjoy the hell out of this important film.

Jim H Super Reviewer
Jan 23, 2011

It took a bit of time to figure out the disjointed non-linear plotting with this film. The detailed flashbacks, with increasingly more details, was likely the whole point of the movie. Every time more details were filled in, and more information was available, the assumptions about the motives and actions of the characters became more understandable. By the very end, it all came together in a most shocking way. Well done.

Cynthia S Super Reviewer
Dec 19, 2010

Powerful film! Also hard to absorb some of the segments in the film at times!

Linda K Super Reviewer
Dec 16, 2010

The best film of its kind since "The Edge of Heaven". It's hard to believe that this masterpiece was concocted by nonprofessionals, since its authenticity transcends conventional filmmaking. This is a complex and convoluted non-linear story that is so brilliantly constructed and connected, it easily trumps films like "Crash" and "Babel".

Richard F Super Reviewer