Film Difficulty Ranking: 3
Why Watch Ajami?
- Get a feel for race relations in Israel – the role of borders and race relations makes Ajami a lot more relevant than some might think.
- What drives someone to do something out of character?
- Looking for a cleverly layered multiple narrative like Amores Perros, Traffic, or Magnolia? Look no further.
- Be amazed at the auction-style way that family disputes are solved.
Breakdown
Nasri, Omar’s younger brother, narrates the opening as he draws a comic book. He introduces us to his neighbour who is fixing Omar’s car and then to his grandpa who he takes care of and washes due to his paralysis. It all seems pretty normal, pretty pleasant. Then two men riding on a motorbike pass by and shoot Nasri’s neighbour fixing their car.
From this point the film takes on a City of God feel as Nasri takes us back in time to explain what events led his neighbour to be shot. After this introduction, the film switches stylistically to a more natural, documentary like style. The colours become washed out, the dialogue takes centre stage, and the music is noticeably absent.
In addition, things happen really quickly. The dialogue is very punchy and snappy, not because of what the characters are saying, but how quickly people respond to each other. The narrative matches the fast pace of the dialogue. A birthday surprise happens so quickly that I felt almost suspicious of it’s authenticity. This made me start to question the authenticity of every character in the film. A lot of them are forced to act outside of their normal character.
Ajami’s genius lies in it’s narratives which are linked in non-chronological order. They come together to create a fatalistic quilt made of interlinking religions, races, and emotions.
Ajami is “a sustained gaze into a widening, all-encompassing trap” – Eric Hynes at Indiewire
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