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The Alleys is the talk of the town. Here is what the director has to say
Israa Radaydeh, Jordan News
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AMMAN — The Alleys, or
Al-Hara, recently hit Netflix, welcoming praise and disapproval for its
dramatized representation of a claustrophobically tight-knit neighborhood in
East Amman. اضافة اعلان
The film explores the niche details of life, where gossip and violence run rampant, it was operated largely by a local Jordanian filming crew.
Before Netflix, the film screened in local theaters had some scenes omitted for explicit language. Despite the cuts, the screenings generated a good turnout.
Director Bassel Ghandour, who co-wrote and co-produced the Oscar-nominated film Theeb, spoke to Jordan News about the Alleys and its importance, here is what he said.
The journeyPrior to The Alleys, Ghandour wrote and directed a short thriller titled Freekeh, which was released in 2019.
The short film did not garner the attention of the other two films, however many credited it as a stepping stone to Ghandour’s longer film.
“The film opened a door to the lives of people living in the neighborhood. It gave me insight to develop the story and its characters. It allowed us to build the setting of the story.”
Freekeh’s storyline follows Ramy, a teen, and his confrontation with a local gangster, touching on similar topic to The Alleys.
Despite the similarities in setting between Freekeh and The Alleys, there was quite the genre switch between The Alleys and Theeb.
However, according to Ghandour, the films required the same process. “In both, I wanted to discover and learn about an environment and living reality I was not super familiar with.”
“I was attracted to the Bedouin lifestyle, and I was also drawn to the social structure of living in a neighborhood setting.”
“Both offer a type of social affinity and generate curiosity” for viewers, he added.
In terms of themes, Ghandour wanted to focus on exploring control mechanisms and power dynamics and the role of the strongest and most influential amongst the population he is presenting.
“I wanted to dig deeper”, he added.
‘Does not represent us’The Alleys, divided viewers, especially in the Kingdom.
Some viewers lauded its “accurate take”, while others criticized it for presenting a “false representation” of Jordanian society.
Others were also displeased with the use of obscene language.
While researching the film, Ghandour stated that it was based on reality.
“During the research phase me and Mahmoud Abu Farha — who lives in a neighborhood like the one we presented — spent hours walking between the alleys and listening to people’s stories.”
“The film is built on a reality. We took those characters and dramatized them and gave them a commercial edge. Some were a bit exaggerated, but the stories and dynamics are representatives of the truth,” he said.
“Those who say this film ‘does not represent us’, do not know reality," he added.
CensorshipRated 18+ on Netflix, the film does include obscene language and violent scenes. During public screenings, some scenes were removed.
“I personally prefer to display the film as is, without any censorship. However, if authorities decide to censor the film, we will work based on the country and its laws.”
The words used however, are not “far from reality,” he said. “These words we hear daily across the Arab world.”
“But if we have to censor, we will. We want people to see and enjoy the film.”
Ghandour also pointed out that it is not only art, whether written or presented, that faces suppression. Rather these are parts of larger efforts related to a pattern of pressure being brought against education, the press, film, and television.
Such efforts do not actually suppress expression, he added. Instead, they cast a shadow of fear, which leads to voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy.
“The arts cannot thrive in a climate of fear,” he added.
The Alleys is currently available on Netflix.
This interview was conducted by Jordan News during the Red Sea Film Festival in December 2021.
Read more Reviews
Jordan News
The film explores the niche details of life, where gossip and violence run rampant, it was operated largely by a local Jordanian filming crew.
Before Netflix, the film screened in local theaters had some scenes omitted for explicit language. Despite the cuts, the screenings generated a good turnout.
Director Bassel Ghandour, who co-wrote and co-produced the Oscar-nominated film Theeb, spoke to Jordan News about the Alleys and its importance, here is what he said.
The journeyPrior to The Alleys, Ghandour wrote and directed a short thriller titled Freekeh, which was released in 2019.
The short film did not garner the attention of the other two films, however many credited it as a stepping stone to Ghandour’s longer film.
“The film is built on a reality. We took those characters and dramatized them and gave them a commercial edge. Some were a bit exaggerated, but the stories and dynamics are representatives of the truth,”“It (Freekeh) allowed me to learn more about the people of the neighborhood, especially how they live,” he said.
“The film opened a door to the lives of people living in the neighborhood. It gave me insight to develop the story and its characters. It allowed us to build the setting of the story.”
Freekeh’s storyline follows Ramy, a teen, and his confrontation with a local gangster, touching on similar topic to The Alleys.
Despite the similarities in setting between Freekeh and The Alleys, there was quite the genre switch between The Alleys and Theeb.
However, according to Ghandour, the films required the same process. “In both, I wanted to discover and learn about an environment and living reality I was not super familiar with.”
“I was attracted to the Bedouin lifestyle, and I was also drawn to the social structure of living in a neighborhood setting.”
“Both offer a type of social affinity and generate curiosity” for viewers, he added.
In terms of themes, Ghandour wanted to focus on exploring control mechanisms and power dynamics and the role of the strongest and most influential amongst the population he is presenting.
“I wanted to dig deeper”, he added.
‘Does not represent us’The Alleys, divided viewers, especially in the Kingdom.
Some viewers lauded its “accurate take”, while others criticized it for presenting a “false representation” of Jordanian society.
Others were also displeased with the use of obscene language.
While researching the film, Ghandour stated that it was based on reality.
“During the research phase me and Mahmoud Abu Farha — who lives in a neighborhood like the one we presented — spent hours walking between the alleys and listening to people’s stories.”
“The film is built on a reality. We took those characters and dramatized them and gave them a commercial edge. Some were a bit exaggerated, but the stories and dynamics are representatives of the truth,” he said.
“Those who say this film ‘does not represent us’, do not know reality," he added.
“This is not to say that this film represents every Arab neighborhood ever. But events like this do happen. Whether blackmail or taking prying videos, these are events concurrent to daily life.”“This is not to say that this film represents every Arab neighborhood ever. But events like this do happen. Whether blackmail or taking prying videos, these are events concurrent to daily life.”
CensorshipRated 18+ on Netflix, the film does include obscene language and violent scenes. During public screenings, some scenes were removed.
“I personally prefer to display the film as is, without any censorship. However, if authorities decide to censor the film, we will work based on the country and its laws.”
The words used however, are not “far from reality,” he said. “These words we hear daily across the Arab world.”
“But if we have to censor, we will. We want people to see and enjoy the film.”
Ghandour also pointed out that it is not only art, whether written or presented, that faces suppression. Rather these are parts of larger efforts related to a pattern of pressure being brought against education, the press, film, and television.
Such efforts do not actually suppress expression, he added. Instead, they cast a shadow of fear, which leads to voluntary curtailment of expression by those who seek to avoid controversy.
“The arts cannot thrive in a climate of fear,” he added.
The Alleys is currently available on Netflix.
This interview was conducted by Jordan News during the Red Sea Film Festival in December 2021.
Read more Reviews
Jordan News
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