Ajami

Ajami is Israel's third Oscar nominated film in a row. And it certainly deserves its nomination. The film is co-directed and co-directed by Scandor Copti (an Arab) and Yaron Shani (a Jew). It is set in the Jaffa neighborhood of Ajami. And you can say that there are some very mean streets in the hood.

The film is broken down into five intertwining stories. Some of the characters include Malek (Ibrahim Ferge, a kid who is working illegally so that he can help his mother get a much needed operation; Omar (Shahir Kabaha), a guy who is trying to pay off a debt in order to keep his family from getting killed in a payback sort of way - he is also in love with a woman who is not in his league); Dando (Eran Naim), a Jewish cop who is trying to find out what happened to his soldier brother, and Binj (played by Copti himself), a man who has a Jewish girlfriend and a drug habit. These are just a few of the characters in the film. There a quite a few more.

Ajami demands that you pay attention to what is happening. If you don't then you will not understand how everything is connected. I don't want to say much about the plot. The film is very powerful as it depicts life in the streets of this tough neighborhood. And things get violent. But it is excellent filmmaking. So if you like intelligent world cinema then make sure you see this terrific film.