I sat down to watch much anything on TV, but flicking across the dial, I found a classic! A young man sets out on his "journey"!!! He tries to be fair & just & of integrity, in his innocence, in ALL of his dealings!!! He shows compassion to those who think themselves his superiors!!! And anyone like him!!! He attempts to be fair to those who mistreat him!!!Despite noting, even questioning, the irrational responses without logic, that his situations demand, unless he is willing to submit!!! For his trouble, he finds himself a victim, even of his pastor & their followers, all claiming affiliation to this God he loves & is inspired by!!! He is honourable in his dealings! Reluctant in his defences! Heavenly in his inherent beauty of heart & mind & soul!!! How much we should all be reminded of the integrity & substance of comment Jesus echoed across 2000 years & beyond, in "The Beatitudes", in his Sermon on the Mount!!! Yet check out the contradictions posed for a genuine & loving, caring & compassionate servant, that Jesus would surely have had in mind as He spoke 60-100 generations prior, of the "downtrodden", the "heartbroken" & marginalised "outcast" "lepers" disrespected in their own integrity & commitment of faith!!! So a young man, a modern day "Abraham" in his faith, ventures on despite misgivings & condemnation & "longsuffering" as was described as one of the 12 "spiritual gifts" of "The Holy Spirit"!!! We should only NOT be surprised by how the hallowed hymns of his surrounding faithful flock in cheery scenarios, are manifest in a young man struggling with his despair yet exhilaration, in his ultimate journey into his beloved Jerusalem!!! Thoughts here of the words of Jesus!!! Along the lines of "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How I have wanted to thrust my arms around you & embrace you!" One man foresaw these things!Thoughts here of the words of Jesus!!! Along the lines of "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How I have wanted to thrust my arms around you & embrace you!" One man foresaw these things! Another man dares to impart such wisdom into those be they friends, in front of his TV set, or enemies, who sought to act as only 'shrewd managers' of cleverness & slyness, without integrity, love, compassion & substance in their hard work or ongoing dealings!!! So we find a TV set mid-film, as scenario for what is portrayed, that Jesus was up against!!! As a young man seeks to extend his TRULY Christian generosity of heart & mind & soul!!! Be it to his "family" or chance encounters or enemies!!! Heartful generosity profoundly played out mid-film, in front of a hard-worked for TV set for him & his friends, in a neighbourhood of "white" justice where a "black" man throwing a double 6 by chance, on dice at backgammon, may be grounds for condemnation & lack of justice by the self-serving, NOT to be questioned!

I have just finished one of the most delightful movies I've ever seen. A young Zulu who comes to Israel from his village to view the Jerusalem he's read about in the Bible all his life, the culmination of a man's vision and belief which becomes complicated as he gets caught up in the harsh realities of life. Yet he remains true to his goal and eventually sees Jerusalem and uses the modern equipment he has acquired in this case a camera to record the city, the city on film to return to Africa with his new knowledge of the world. He is exhilarated by having having finally seen the Jerusalem of his dreams. This picture has to be seen and felt as no words are eloquent enough to capture the essence of this truly remarkable film.

In the allegorical "James' Journey to Jerusalem," a deeply religious young man, filled with idealism and hope, leaves his village in Africa to embark on a pilgrimage to the Holy City. There he hopes to glean some spiritual inspiration before returning home to start life as a pastor. However, things do not quite work out for James the way he envisions them. Immediately upon his arrival in Israel and before he can even make it to the famed city, he is unjustly thrown into jail, then "sold" into a kind of paid slavery to the business man who ponies up his bail. James is forced to live in a kind of community barracks with other young men in his situation and is sent around town to do cleaning, gardening and an assortment of other odd jobs. As James toils at his labors and interacts with both his "superiors" and peers, he learns a great deal about life in a land where the weak are taken advantage of by the strong and where friendly words and acts of seeming kindness are doled out with an air of class-conscious racism and condescension.This is a fascinating film in many ways, for it introduces us to a milieu filled with unfamiliar situations and faces. James is, obviously, a sincere and devout individual whose innocence and naiveté endear us to him, even when it is those very qualities that make it difficult for him to exist and function in a world far more crassly commercial and uncaringly cynical than the one he expects to find. Yet, at the same time, James has a strength of spirit and a resourcefulness that allow him to triumph, even if only temporarily, over the adversities that befall him. However, even the saintly James, who keeps a firm grasp on his principles early on, eventually learns that one sometimes has to violate a moral code or two to get ahead in life. In many ways, this is like a modern "Pilgrim's Progress" or "Young Goodman Brown," with the noble protagonist leaving the safety and familiarity of his home to venture forth into a world filled with evils and temptations - but always with the hope of reaching that famed "City on a Hill" at the end.However, there is one rather disturbing aspect to the film, and that is that, almost without exception, all the Israelis whom James encounters are greedy, grasping exploiters who see James and all of his compatriots as little more than chattel to do their work for them, talking down to and taking advantage of them every chance they get. Even his boss' elderly father, with whom James establishes a certain precarious "friendship," is really just a bitter, angry racist, hardly deserving of James' loyalty and trust. But to be fair, it isn't just the Jewish Israelis - even the black minister of the church that James attends ends up exploiting him. Since the film originates from Israel, it would be a bit difficult to accuse it of being anti-Semitic, and perhaps this film is that country's attempt to come to terms with a decidedly negative aspect of the nation's people and character - equivalent to the many Hollywood films made about racism, discrimination and exploitation in the United States of America.Whatever the motivation, "James' Journey to Jerusalem" is a moving film about xenophobia, the class struggle and the fragility of hopes and dreams. The ironic final image brings that last theme home in a heartbreaking way. For James does finally reach his destination, but not quite in the way he intended.

I really liked this film because it exposed something we Israelis don't like to bring out into the light: the negative consequences of not being a fryer. I think that in Israel, people are just so focused on not being taken advantage of that they often don't think about how they themselves pimp others. I also found it fascinating how James listened to Mr. Salah's bad advice and Mr. Salah listened to James' bad advice, (which led to unhappiness for both) out of trust in one another. It was really interesting that no Israeli/Palestinian politics entered the arena--it's impossible to live life in Israel without being highly sensitive to the political situation, and as such most Israeli films touch upon it in some way or another. I liked how this one didn't, though because I think that beyond Israeli/Palestinian issues, there are a lot of other problems Israeli society faces and often overlooks. Definitely a film with an important statement about being Israeli.