This poignant film is set in the multi-ethnic Ajami neighborhood in Jaffa, Israel. Here Jews, Christians, and Muslims live uneasily side-by-side. "I know I can feel what is about to happen," says 13-year-old Nasri (Fouad Habash) who lives with his family headed by his older brother Omar (Shahir Kabaha). The boy's premonitions are correct: he witnesses the murder of a next-door neighbor who is mistaken for Omar. The Bedouin shooters are avenging the death of a man in their clan killed by Nasri's uncle. Abu Elias (Youssef Sahwani), a Christian community leader, is called in to work out a truce between the feuding groups. When Omar learns that he has to pay a large amount of money to end the reign of terror, he decides to peddle drugs.
Others in this neighborhood are fighting their own private battles and struggling to stay alive in tense times. Malek (Ibrahim Frege), a Palestinian from the Occupied Territories, is secretly working at a restaurant owned by Abu Elias. Since he is an illegal, he must constantly be on the lookout for danger. His dream is to earn enough money to pay for an operation his mother needs to save her life. Also employed at the restaurant is Hadir (Ranin Karim) who is having an affair with Omar. Such a relationship between a Christian and a Muslim is not permitted in the community. Perhaps the angriest person of all is Dando (Eran Naim), an Israeli cop who has been unable to find his conscripted younger brother. He is involved in an investigation of Binj (co-director Scandar Copti), a Palestinian with a Jewish girlfriend.
Ajami is directed by Yaron Shani (an Israeli) and Scandor Copti (a Palestinian) and uses an unprofessional cast. It is Israel's submission to the 82nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. Ajami registers on the senses as a poignant study of a community tensed by religious skirmishes, poverty, and long-standing traditions of revenge. Violence is considered to be the best way of handling disputes and dealing drugs the best way out of the prison of poverty. Our hearts go out to Nasri as he learns to deal with loss and make his own way in this nightmare world.
Special features include a feature "Ajami: The Story of the Actors," deleted scenes, the trailer, and a still photography gallery.
