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Arriving in Israel in search of a land of milk and honey, a young African Christian is instead thrown in jail by an immigration officer. And that's just the beginning of James' Journey To Jerusalem, a colourful but uneven drama that's a bit like a Sunday School story directed by Ken Loach. Soon our eponymous hero (the wide-eyed Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) is out on bail but in the clutches of Shimi (Salim Daw), a dishonest businessman who tempts James from his righteous path.

If the film really were directed by Loach, you could imagine him getting far more worked up over James' enslavement and corruption than helmer Ra'anan Alexandrowicz does. Striving for a fable-like quality, the Israeli filmmaker charts this pilgrim's progress from would-be pastor to menial worker and then entrepreneur in an uncomfortably upbeat manner. (The perky Caribbean score doesn't exactly help.) No less dubious are some of the sly, money-grubbing Jewish stereotypes on offer.

"SHIBE KEEPS THE FILM GROUNDED"

That said, it's not just Shmi and his cohorts who are out to exploit James: one of the most striking moments comes when a church minister rebukes him for his spiritual shortcomings then badgers him for money. Fortunately, the film's tendency to see James as a two-dimensional symbol of innocence lost is offset by the charm of Shibe's performance, which helps keep this airy allegory grounded. There are also involving scenes with Shmi's winningly stubborn old dad (Arie Elias), whose defiance against greed stands out against some of the more familiar contours of James' journey.

In Hebrew and Zulu with English subtitles.