Ajami

TIFF: Spiralling violence slowly permeates the emotional fabric of Ajami, a fourfold Middle Eastern saga that slowly blends into one monumental story of woe. The film is jointly directed by an Israeli, Yaron Shani, and a Palestinian, Scandar Copti, who prove that though they may be unable to share a country, they are perfectly capable of sharing a movie. It's no coincidence that the film's greatest virtue is its tenacity.

By auditioning locals from Jaffa and arduously rehearsing for ten months, the directorial duo took the time to both adapt the actors to the film and the film to the actors. Each character has a special place in the script, which carefully establishes context for every new face before forging ahead with the final mission: to somehow bring them all together. In Jaffa's Ajami neighbourhood, young Nasri (Fouad Habash) finds himself in trouble when his uncle (Ghassan Ashkar), the proprietor of a humble café, unknowingly wounds a member of a powerful clan who tried to sell him protection. The attempt at retribution fails and mistakenly costs an innocent neighbour his life when, in fact, the intended target was Nasri's older brother Omar (Shahir Kabaha). The only way to survive is to pay their way out.

The traditional clan meeting, a deeply disturbing scene melding greed with religion, leaves Nasri's family deeply in debt and out of options. Meanwhile, Malek (Ibrahim Frege), a teenaged Palestinian from across the border, is putting his money aside for a whole different reason. Illegally employed at a luxurious restaurant, he's hoping to pay off his mother's bone marrow transplant. On the Israeli front, family man and police officer Dando (Eran Naim) is struggling to put his brother's disappearance behind him. Sent on a drug bust, he comes across Binj (Copti), a Palestinian with a Jewish girlfriend who dreams of leaving Ajami behind.

If all this seems a little overwhelming, that's because it is. Dropping you right in the middle of the ocean, Copti and Shani take their time throwing you a life buoy, just because they know that will make their rescue raft seem all the more rewarding. And believe me, it is.

Dimitri Eipides.

Scandar Copti is a Palestinian citizen born in Jaffa. He has made several fiction, documentary and experimental short films. His first feature, Ajami (09, co-director), won the Caméra d'Or – Special Distinction at the Cannes Film Festival.

Yaron Shani is a Jewish filmmaker born in Israel. He studied film at Tel Aviv University. Ajami (09, co-director), which was awarded the Caméra d'Or – Special Distinction at the Cannes Film Festival, is his feature-directing debut.


Larry Richman: The North American Premiere of Ajami kicked things off. There was a surprisingly large crowd for a late festival, early morning foreign film. Perhaps it's because the movie hails from Israel, although this is not part of the new "City to City" section which has stirred up some controversy here at the festival for its supposed "pro-Israeli anti-Palestinian" point of view. In fact, Ajami portrays a side of life that few ever see -- Arabs living in Israel. In fact, not only is this film not primarily about Arabs and Israelis, it actually deals with conflict within the Israeli Arab world between Arab Muslims and Arab Christians.

Written, directed, and edited by Scandar Copti, Ajami is a two-hour "Crash"-like drama which looks at several violent incidents, some linked more than others, and then focuses on one in particular from different perspectives told through the use of flashbacks. The movie takes awhile to get going but once the viewer catches on to the device it becomes more compelling. The young people featured in the recurring storyline are quite endearing and easy to empathize with. This could be a coming-of-age story set anywhere in the world.

There was no Q&A which was fortuitous for me since I had to literally jump out of my seat and run across the lobby to the North American Premiere of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. This was the second showing of a Gala selection so it was sold out.