The Alleys

From the opening scene, you feel that this is something different. This isn't another mindless piece of commercial television, this isn't another trend-driven cashgrab piece of entertainment, this isn't a surface-level pat-on-the-back piece of media, this is a film, one that has something to say.

Took me a while, but I finally got to see one of the most praised Jordanian films in recent years, one that deserves all its praise and some more. Bassel Ghandour writes and directs without a fear of judgement or disapproval, about characters in a city and area that are seldom rid of judgment and disapproval.

Perhaps what is most impressive here, is that Ghandour was able to say so much about the political, social, religious, and economical conditions of the country through the characters, not by lecturing the audience, but by constructing a thrilling and gripping dramatic narrative, that leaves one wondering, when will the cycle of violence and chaos ever stop? And when will honestly confront those who create such environments?

This film is a great example of the talent that yearns to reflect life in Amman and Jordan, talent that is present in every aspect here. The cinematography, lighting, set design, sound, almost every technical aspect sets a new standard for Jordanian cinema. All these aspects elevate the incredible screenplay, which is becomes even more realised with the captivating cast. There is no weak link here, everyone from the smallest roles to the leading ones were impressive, my personal favourites were Emad Azmi as Ali and Nadeem Rimawi as Tutu.

It has its faults of course, and a couple of personal gripes. Without any spoilers, there are a couple of actors that got a bit sidelined due to how the plot had to develop, their presence was missed. Also, some of the musical choices felt too detached from the overall atmosphere of certain scenes, which were supposed to be more intense.

It's undeniably dramatised, and it's how the narrative is purposefully constructed, it wishes to tell a story of a neighbourhood, and it succeeds in every way. I felt some influence from Scorsese's Mean Streets, and it also incorporates some other classic storytelling tropes such as Romeo and Juliet, but told in a local way. Whether you are with or against this film, you cannot deny its importance. Not only as a film for Jordanian cinema, but also for Arab cinema as a whole, it speaks to those who want to tell stories about their struggles and dreams, to not be silenced and conform. It provokes because it reminds them of the responsibilities that lead to such stories, stories we hear of on a daily basis.

There is a thematic antagonist that lurks in these alleys, its most disastrous perpetrator lives beyond the buildings built on buildings upon buildings, not present where the blood is shed, but where the riches are kept.

This movie represents what really happens in some parts of Amman, I was born and raised there and can relate to a lot of things. The director is highly skilled, lots of plot twists and unexpected events will spin your head around. The attention to the smallest detail is what makes it truly unique, I watched it with some of my foreign friends and they were stunned by the amount of carefully thought details that outlines life out there.

This movie hits home, I left Jordan 8 years ago and it definitely brought back some good & bad memories, great job by the entire staff. A masterpiece! It deservers an award.

Amazing story with powerful and meaningful pay back... Outstanding set design and atmospheres so realistic and well crafted... Textures and surroundings were well chosen... The effort was so clear in all details and aspects of the film.

Great cast and acting with seamless delivery for each character.

Clean solid edits.

Jordan must be proud of this.

Such an important mark for in the cinema industry for this region.

Very well done Great job The Alleys Team Hats off 👏👏👏

Glad to see improvement in Jordanian movies industry, I really liked it, and it's accurate in those places in Amman, I have seen many things like that in front of my eyes in poor east Amman neighborhoods, those who say that it doesn't represent the reality are delusional, they are giving it low rating just because it has swear words and some not family friendly scenes, although you can hear way worse swear words in almost every street in Jordan, and the movie was not meant to be family friendly anyway, it's a Netflix movie, it wasn't produced by Jordan Official TV! Want family friendly stuff? Maybe you should reconsider subscribing to Netflix, also the movie does not even have that amount of inappropriate scenes.

I see that this film as an improvement in Jordanian cinema and opens the way for the production of better works in the future, the film is very good as a start, although they should have worked on the plot more, but I liked the production, directing and accuracy in the dialect.

I liked the character of Hanadi in the movie, Maisa Abd Elhadi is talented, looking forward to see her in more Jordanian movies.

Abbas's character really had more potential, especially that it was played by one of the best actors in Jordan imo (Mondher Rayahneh).

I don't want to write more because I don't want to spoil the events, but in general it was a good movie and I liked it, and I'm glad to see improvements in Jordanian cinema.

The story is so good that will keep you on your toes for the whole time!

Amazing work, very happy to see Jordanians doing such creative and entertaining movies.

Critics will always shout loud... who cares! People saying it doesn't say about Jordanian values and ethics, it's like they live in a la la land where everyone is happy, polite and sane... I find my people (Jordanians) are the most hypocrite and arrogant when it comes to Jordanian Movies.. they think the movie should only show the good side of Jordan, and ignore that the main reason of this movie is spot the light on the bad side so we are aware of it and stop denying it! Its part of our community, they tend to forget that Jordan is full of corruption, injustice court laws and very poor people.

Enjoy the movie, its such a good story!