Presented in black and white and set in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, James is a portrait of a nihlist who finds meaning via a bicycle. After a night, and perhaps a lifetime, of being ground down by the world around him, James (Dylan Beatch) finds a bike in a dumpster, then takes the time to find the parts he needs to repair it, gets a job as a courier, and becomes a better man as a result.  Then the bike is stolen.  

What follows is a cross between a noir thriller and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, with some Buster-Keaton-inspired visuals and action along the way. As he pursues the corrupt bicycle dealer that took his bike, he heads back toward a life he left behind, and also delves deeper into a heightened version of Vancouver, with Yakuza members and Irish thugs who are maybe too Irish for their own good involved for good measure.

The actors, Dylan Beatch especially, give their all to the characters and story. It’s hard not to root for Beatch’s James, the very definition of an underdog on a righteous quest; he hits that balance between melancholy and indignation (combined with the ability to take a beating) just right to make sure we’re always on his side.  

James is exactly the kind of film that makes film festivals a gold mine.  It’s a small film, one in which the east side of Vancouver is as much a character as any of the people involved.  It’s quirky, but committed to the bit enough that it remains consistent and enjoyable. 

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James