Living next door to the enemy in Ajami

Made by Scandar Copti, a Palestinian Israeli, and Yaron Shani, an Israeli Jew, it is set in Jaffa’s rundown Ajami neighbourhood, where Jews, Muslims and Christians — sworn enemies — exist side by side. Never have I seen the tribulations of this cross-cultural mélange expressed with such realism.

It is done without a trace of sentimentality or cynicism. The cast, mostly amateurs, are superb. Copti and Shani give their film the look of a fly-on-the-wall documentary but it is actually a fiction, carrying what looks like the real truth of life on these mean streets.

The first thing we see is a young boy mending a tyre, shot by two armed motorcyclists. He is the wrong target since the bullet was meant for the owner of the car, revenge for a family feud. The man who should have been gunned down seeks the protection of a local bigwig, who tells him it will cost a lot of money but he can arrange it.

There is then a marvellous scene at which an unofficial local judge and the representatives of the two warring families bargain about the price of peace, five per cent of which has to be "given to God".

Can the money be found without recourse to crime? And what will happen when the Christian bossman finds his daughter in love with the young Arab he has helped?

This is only about a fifth of the story, which moves between a dozen characters, all of them fighting for a half-decent life in appalling circumstances. Copti and Shani do not suggest that these people cannot live together — but they show us how hard it is for illegal immigrants, lovers of different religions and anyone who offends against the culture of one or the other factions.

This is certainly a devastating film, but is a deeply impressive one too. It was no surprise that Ajami was nominated for the Foreign Film Oscar. The surprise is that it didn’t win.

Ajami
Cert: 15