Kristin Thompson caught Jerusalema at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and describes it as “Michael Mann shooting a gritty Hong Kong action film, but setting it among Johannesburg gangs.” Many are agog at the film’s City of God-like depiction of South Africa as an urban war zone, but director Ziman told audiences at a Q and A at the festival that Johannesburg really is that bad. South African audiences apparently agree, as it was submitted as South Africa’s Oscar contender for the year. Ziman talks a bit in this interview about the title of the film, which comes from an African hymn about Jerusalem being described as the Promised Land throughout the Bible. The bitter subtext here refers to all the ways in which Johannesburg has failed to become the “new Jerusalem” envisioned by the end of apartheid. Instead what remains is an endless cycle of criminals and schemes like those documented in the film. References in various reviews to a scene where several budding criminals watch Michael Mann’s Heat for tips on how to jack an armored car call to mind the Pulp Fiction conversation in Jia’s Unknown Pleasures. Stumbling across bits of Hollywood in these settings is always unsettling when they connect back to real life circumstances abroad. The good news is that the film has been picked up for American distribution, but Ralph Ziman is being tight-lipped until an official announcement. Until then, this detailed review at Fataculture should suffice. We will keep an eye on upcoming screenings.
Jerusalema at Palm Springs