Matzo Ball of Confusion

While the conflict in the Middle East rages on, some folks in the region remain of the belief that the arts represent a ray of hope. We have seen examples of Israelis and Arabs cooperating in this way before, and "Ajami" is the latest to attempt this path towards mutual salvation. It's not just about that, thought. The primary goal, no doubt, is still to produce an outstanding film, but nothing is simple in that part of the world.

Co-directors Yaron Shani, an Israeli Jew, and Scandar Copti, an Israeli Arab have brought us a layered, involving and multi-plotted piece that attempts to weave all of the various parts into a cohesive quilt. Unfortunately, the valiant attempt doesn't work. Despite a lot of the parts being well done, they have bitten off more they can chew. What is left is a hodgepodge of jumping from story to story until we become almost disoriented. Their point is that what happens is always dependent on your preconceptions going into a situation.

The acting in "Ajami" is consistently strong. What makes this remarkable is that all the performers are non-professionals. I was unaware of this until after I watched it, which left me impressed. Supposedly, the actors were often left without a script and told to improvise. I'm not sure how true that is.

"Ajami" bounces back and forth between gangster and political genres, and there were times where I wasn't positive what had just happened and what was happening while I watched. It sometimes left me annoyed at my own confusion. Perhaps the filmmakers were using the confusion as a metaphor for the realities in that part of the world. Again, I'm not sure, and frankly, I didn't have the patience to sort it all out. Sounds like a good way to describe life there, in general.