The Alleys

Engaging, atmospheric, enjoyable movie. A bit cringe as every lie, sin or intrigue gives rise to worse consequences.... Just enough over the top to bring out the humor and a bit of distance to mitigate some of the violence... But in the end I cared about the characters and thought it was wonderfully acted and directed with an ensemble cast.

Hanadi (Maisa Abd Elhadi) who plays the gangster's right hand woman rises to the occasion and is very powerful and riveting.

Would love to see her do more.

The multiple interwoven storylines were balanced artfully by director Bassel Ghandour.

I'm gonna go watch his Theeb, soon.

Impeccable performance with a great written script and character choices.

The story was captivating from start to finish. The scenes, camera angles, locations chosen to film are so close to reality it was truly a reflection of a Jordanian alley. From the narrow streets to the colloquial accent and the way the characters spoke, each with a specific personality that was very fitting to the role they played. Attention to detail to how each character dressed down to their makeup.

Hats off to the team working on this masterpiece! 👏🏼

Really looking forward to see more of this young rising talent (Basel's) work in the near future.

Quite interesting if complicated storytelling. What's apparent is that this is a well-scripted film. The stories are intersecting and you are regaled by the outcomes of each storyline.

The characters are true to life which make them relatable. These are your characters that populate, well, alleys.

The actors are credible. Those portraying the major characters deliver no-nonsense performances like Ali, Abbas, Lena, Hamadi, Bahaa and Aseel.

Jordan cinema is producing quality pictures which should be a source of pride for Jordanian filmmakers and those involved in the movie industry there. The viewer looks forward to other films worth watching.

Enjoyed every minute of it. The characters, storyline and comedy remind me of an Arabic Pulp Fiction. It's great to see movies like this with realistic (not sugar coated) creativity coming out of the the Middle East.

It contains a bit of everything, and takes you through the streets of a country you rarely see in movies.

More power to the director on such a bold film. Looking forward to seeing more of what his creativity has to offer. It's also great to see the discussion this film has stirred up with two opposite point of views.

Definitely a must watch, great movie, love the direction and would love to see more Arabic directors take the same path.

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.