In the field of comedies about religious pilgrimages, "James' Journey to Jerusalem" reigns supreme. (Admittedly, I don't
know how much competition there is in this genre.) It's a deceptively gentle social satire brimming with likable performances and smart humor, set in an idyllic non-violent version of modern-day Jerusalem. James (Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) is a Christian whose African tribe has sent him to the Holy City on a pilgrimage, to learn what inspiration it has to offer them. Unfortunately, the Israeli customs officials assume James is coming to the country to look for work or to steal from them, so he's put in jail. From there he's rescued, in a sense, by Shimi (Salim Daw), who finds workers for a gruff contractor named Feda (Gregory Tal), who in turn sends his guys out each morning as day laborers. (It's not unlike Fagin's operation in "Oliver Twist," though it is somewhat more legal.) James doesn't like Feda's bunkhouse rules or his authoritarianism, but he accepts that he owes Shimi a debt for getting him out of jail, so he agrees to work until he's paid it off, and THEN he'll continue to Jerusalem.
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