The song that leads off "James' Journey to Jerusalem" starts the film out on the right note, so to speak.
That song — an African tribal choral piece sung in Zulu — brings us up to speed on the story and lets us know all we really need to about the central character's background. It's also fairly sunny and bright.
Of course, those terms could also be used to describe the tone of the film most of the way. Which seems a bit odd, considering that it's basically a dark satire. But that also helps make the movie more watchable.
The title character is a young Zulu (Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) who is sent by his village to "the land of Zion," or Israel, and he's supposed to report back to his fellow villagers on what he finds there.
As expected, things go awry very quickly. James is detained by customs officers, who believe he's there to make a quick buck. So he's thrown into prison but is "rescued" by an Israeli, Shimi (Salim Dau). However, Shimi isn't as generous as he pretends. He's actually using James and the other detainees as cheap labor, to clean houses and do other household chores for rich Israelis.
James is reluctant to work, especially since it's keeping him from completing his journey. But as he begins doing odd jobs for Shimi's father, (Arieh Elias), he also begins to make some real money. And as he becomes consumed by profiteering, he gets further and further away from his original mission.
Co-screenwriter/director Ra'anan Alexandrowicz manages to express most of his ideas without getting too heavy-handed, and the low-key tone is refreshing — not just the humor but also the characterizations and story developments.
The cast is also good; the friendship that develops between Shibe and Elias' characters is quite believable. And Dau adds subtle character shadings that help him avoid becoming a stock villain.
"James' Journey to Jerusalem" is not rated but would probably receive a PG for scattered use of profanity, crude slang terms and racial epithets, as well as a brief scene of violence (a beating). Running time: 83 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com