THE ALLEYS

Jordan, 2021, 116 minutes, Colour.

Emad Azmi, Baraka Rahmani, Monzer Reyahnah, Nadira Omran, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Eslam Al-Awadi.

Directed by Bassell Ghandour.

Audiences do not have many opportunities to see films from Jordan. However, Netflix is providing films from such countries, especially from the Middle East.

This is a kind of underbelly story, as the title indicates, a focus on families and characters who live in the alleys of the city. There is a voice-over at the beginning, explaining how people chat, gossip, how the stories become embroidered as they are passed from one to the other – and, one of the pleasures of the film is to discover who the narrator is by the end of the film and his contribution to the plot developments.

The film is divided into five chapters pinpointing the behaviour of the characters and the final, everything in place, checkmate solution. However, it does something with his central character as Hitchcock did with Psycho, the central character dies two thirds of the way through the film – though his character is important even after his death and what happens to his body.

The first chapter of the film is called Hustle, focusing on Ali, young man about town, pretending that he is employed by an American firm and is to be transferred to Istanbul while all the time he hustles wealthy guests from an upmarket hotel, employees conniving with him, then taking them to a nightclub who spend big and he gets a commission. However, all the clubs and businesses have to pay protection money to the local boss, Abbas, and his former prostitute associate, the tough-minded, Hanida. Ali is also involved with the daughter of the local hairdresser, Lana.

But, there is a blackmailer in the vicinity who film is compromising situations on his phone, then sending the information and demanding money – which happens with some film of Lana and Ali together. Lana’s mother is upset (and there are flashbacks to her tough origins in setting up addresses shop with her ineffectual husband), starts to arrange a marriage for Lana.

As the plot thickens, Ali decides to Rob Abbas, is caught by him, overwhelms him, gets the safe combination, takes the money but brutally cuts up Abbas’ tongue.

And here is where the film becomes intriguing, Lana running away with Ali but discovering the truth, Ali coming with the money to entice her away but encountering Lana’s mother – leading to struggle, death, getting rid of the body, and the blackmailer filming it all and making more demands.

The sympathetic character in the film is Bahaa, Belize longtime friend and the local barber – who spends a lot of the latter part of the film trying to rehabilitate Ali’s reputation, finding out about the hustling at the hotel, arranging that friends would comfort the old grandfather and the family pretending they were from the American company, and organising Ali’s death as if it were a crash in a car and employing a detective to come again to console the family.

Final section, Checkmate, everybody settled once again, with holds over each other, and Lana gone with the money and setting up her own hairdressing business.

Intriguing, plenty of plot – especially even more plot in the latter part of the film.

1. A film from Jordan? The film inviting the audience to come to the Jordanian city, the underbelly aspects of the city, the alleys, the apartments, clubs, the contrast with the fashionable hotels? An impression of Jordan?
2. The structure of the film, the five sections, the different points of view, and checkmate at the end with everything brought together?
3. The irony of the screenplay, the central character dying two thirds of the way through, yet his presence, dead, in the latter part of the film, governing characters’ behaviour?
4. The introduction to Ali, age, his mother, brothers, devotion to his grandfather, helpless grandfather in the shop? Introduced with the title for the section, Hustle? His pretence at having a job, American company, talking English, this is part of his reputation? Seeing him in action at the hotel, the connections on the staff, guests, taking them to the club, hassling them, big spenders, and his getting the commission from the manager? Happy-go-lucky? The relationship with Lana? Her mot her? His close friendship with Bahaa, the barber, getting his face touched up? But his plans to change his life, perhaps go to Istanbul with Lana?
5. Lana, a young woman in an open but protected society? Her mother, the flashbacks to her mother’s experience with men, the past, her husband, setting up the headdresses? Later, the workers, the clientele, the gossip? Protective of Lana? The plan for the arranged marriage, the family coming, the young man, polite, gifts to Lana? Yet her thinking of Ali?
6. The narration, seemingly anonymous, talking about the town, the alleys, the gossip, the story is changing from person-to-person, this being visualised – and the final revelation that he was the photographer, blackmailing everyone, capitalising on secrecy and gossip?
7. The images of Lana and Ali, together, the demand for money? The mother’s reaction, the visit from her husband, his being rather slow witted, her control of him, getting him involved in discovering who the blackmailer was?
8. Abbas, the protection racket, his men, Hanida, the flashbacks to her background, prostitute, the advances of the man, her setting fire to him? Her control of Abbas’s business? Going the rounds, collecting the protection money? Ali, seeing where Abbas hid his money, his plan? The situation with Lana, Abbas and his protection, warning of Ali, Ali going to the club, the manager warning him off?
9. The Istanbul plan, people believing it, the sequence of the robbery, Ali trying to open the safe, Abbas coming, tied up, the combination, getting the money, the vicious violence, cutting and Abbas’ tongue? The consequences for Abbas, Hanida sending the men away, covering for him, the changing loyalties of the men, Abbas reappearing, the disloyal men thrown over the building, honeyed are continuing the build business?
10. Ali, lowering the telephone, Lana packing, joining Ali, the going to the hotel, her wariness, the truth about the American company, her discovering the money, leaving? Ali distraught, bringing her suitcase, lowering it to her window, the fact that Lana had not gone home but to a relative, her mother in the room, getting the money, waiting for Ali, with the scissors, the fight, killing him? Getting her husband, the blood, the carpet, the husband taking the body in the truck, getting rid of it by the highway? Burning the rug?
11. The irony of the murder being filmed, the blackmail demand, the mother upset, the payment, the wrecked car, her husband watching, then losing the blackmailer? Lana returning home, her mother being forceful, getting her to stand at the window, the father observing, the blackmailer arriving, leaving, returning to watch Lana, his being captured, the revelation of who he was, the fact that he was doing this for so many people around the district? Their photographing him and the condition that there will be no revealing what it happened?
12. Lana, overhearing everything, going to mother’s room, taking the money, disappearing?
13. The behaviour of Bahaa, the long bond with Ali, wanting to save his reputation, going to the club, just drinking juice, but learning the truth from the manager? His organising his friends to pretend that they were the American company to reassure the family and the grandfather that all was well? His later organising the car, seeing at the hotel, its crashing, his employing them and to be the detective, to explain everything to the grandparents, the relief, and the celebration of the funeral?
14. The checkmate ending, people with their comeuppance, people with their achievement, and Lana and her hairdressing business in the other part of the city?