Ajami (2009) starring a non-professional Arab and Israeli cast. Set mostly in the city of Jaffa, a part of Tel Aviv, this movie tells a complex story of tribal violence, racial intolerance and crime. Jews, Christians and Muslims co-exist in Jaffa, and the tensions among them are made palpable in the film. It starts out with a killing, which turns out to be a revenge killing, and which is followed by more killing. The closest thing I can think of for a comparison is the American movie "Crash," which had multiple story lines, interwoven, with themes of race and violence. Frankly, I had trouble following "Ajami," but I came away feeling that I had seen a good movie with profound impact. It just didn't translate very well culturally. The subtitles are OK, but it's unavoidably confusing when some characters speak in Hebrew, some in Arabic. Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment