The lives of a dozen or so residents of Jaffa intersect with devastating consequences in this 2009 ensemble drama. Told in a nonlinear fashion, Ajami depicts a variety of residents -- wealthy Arab Christians, illegal Palestinian teen-agers, Jewish policemen and restless young Muslim men -- living together uneasily. It takes just one rash decision or a casual misinterpretation for trouble to ignite. The jigsaw structure of this otherwise neo-realistic film requires attention, but the patient viewer will be rewarded when the final links are snapped into place. The Oscar-nominated film itself is a successful cross-cultural project, co-written and co-directed by an Israeli Jew (Yaron Shani) and an Israeli Arab (Scandar Copti). In Arabic and Hebrew, with subtitles. Mon., Aug. 16, through Thu., Aug. 19. Regent Square
