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Ajami

Play trailer Poster for Ajami Released Feb 3, 2010 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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97% Tomatometer 68 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A revenge killing has a ripple effect in a multi-ethnic neighborhood in Tel Aviv.
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Ajami

Ajami

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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Deborah Ross The Spectator 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 Ed Koch The Atlantic 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 13, 2018 Full Review Chris Chang Film Comment Magazine 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 Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site Ajami is a complex, deep-going work. The performers are all non-professionals, and, as the directors explain, come from tough backgrounds. Mar 4, 2021 Full Review John Powers NPR's Fresh Air 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 Enrique Buchichio Uruguay Total Una contundente pera 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. Rated: 4/5 Jun 2, 2011 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dave S Ajami is a film that refuses to take sides or pass judgement of any kind. Set in Jaffna, Israel, the movie documents the difficulty of day-to-day life in a society that turns its back on the concept of acceptance. Told through the lens of numerous characters and in a non-chronological sequence, it is one of those rare movies that improves through subsequent viewings, allowing the audience to better understand the relationships and the storyline the second time around. Shot with handheld cameras and a non-professional cast, Ajami almost has the feel of a documentary, making the sudden bursts of violence all the more jarring. Sadly, and this is most certainly one of the points of the movie, one has to wonder if Muslims, Jews, and Christians will ever be able to peacefully co-exist in this region of the world. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Ajami is a collaboration of Palestinian Scandar Copti and Israeli Yaron Shani to tell a very complex tale, through five chapters, of an Arab-Israeli family with incredibly bad luck dealing with a protection racket, drug dealers, and the Israeli police. The film presents a realistic and compelling view of the underside of Jaffa, but the non-linear progression of the plot is more tedious than revealing, and in the end the film goes nowhere but to depress. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Chilling, realistic and terrifically promising rare crime thriller showing the rippling effect of middle eastern conflict from both Jewish n Arabic perspective. The 2 directors of this Oscar nominated movie, one being a Palestinian and other a Israeli Jewish has bravely constructed a convoluted nonlinear plot finishing to a spectacular climax. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Loved that this was a film about Israel Palestine, but was nothing about the political situation. All 3 religions living, working and loving together........showing the very strong family connections and obligations that there are in that part of the world. That is at least something that the West could try to learn from Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Audience Member What a powerful film!!! Impressive collaborative effort from a Palestinian and Israeli weaving the fabric of a seemingly complex story made fairly simple by showing the connective fibers of human decision and circumstances across ethnic, religious and physical boundaries. Even going back and forth in time like a Tarantino film it was still easy to follow, as the past leading to the fateful end unfolded in gripping detail. This film really has the power to open a heart-wrenching window into the everyday struggles of the people in the part of the world that we often hear about in sound bytes on the news. Great storytelling!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Harrowing but excellent. The ending leaves you reeling. Real performances, and gives you insights into what it's like in this Muslim/Christian/Jewish neighbourhood of Israel. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ajami

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Cast & Crew

Policeman 61% 47% Policeman Watchlist As If I Am Not There 85% 77% As If I Am Not There Watchlist Broken 61% 73% Broken Watchlist The Attack 86% 77% The Attack Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A revenge killing has a ripple effect in a multi-ethnic neighborhood in Tel Aviv.
Director
Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
Producer
Moshe Danon, Thanassis Karathanos
Screenwriter
Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani
Distributor
Kino International
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Arabic
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 3, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 25, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$621.2K
Runtime
2h 0m
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