Max Trains director’s quirky bike thief comedy

Not since bicycle thief Is there a movie that focuses so firmly on bike theft? jameswhich had its world premiere at the Oldenburg Film Festival. That’s not to say that Max Train’s quirky new comedy has much in common with Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 neo-realist classic, other than that it’s also shot in black and white. The kind of film that could best be described as “weird” has more in common with Jim Jarmusch’s early work, especially its deadpan style. This Canadian indie film is probably best appreciated at a midnight screening after a few drinks, another example of the festival uncovering small-scale gems.

The film opens with the alcoholic protagonist (Dylan Beach, who co-wrote Train) being violently arrested and then telling his story to a detective who wonders how he could have committed so many crimes against one man. The story begins with down-on-his-luck, nihilistic James being dumped by his girlfriend because of his bad temper. He lived in a single room in a church-run shelter with mattresses on the floor, and he couldn’t even go to a noodle shop for a cheap meal without nearly having his fingers chopped off by the Japanese chef he offended.

James’ life changed when he found part of a bicycle’s metal frame in the trash, and after cleaning up the other debris, he assembled a bicycle and used it to find a job as a courier. For a while, everything seemed to be going well for him, until he delivered a package to a butcher’s shop. Its owner, Valentin DeWolfe (James Cowley), an obsessive collector with a peculiar name, immediately recognized the identity of James’ bicycle. The frame is an extremely rare bicycle designed by an Italian designer in the 1940s. After his offer to buy it for an outrageous price is rejected, he hires two small-time crooks to steal it. Thus begins James’ journey as he travels through the heart of Vancouver to reclaim his journey and prevent himself from falling back into a downward spiral.

Of course, these are just small things, and not all minimalist humor works. Some jokes, like the largely unintelligible dialogue of a heavily accented Irish bicycle thief, are long overdue. The storyline, which includes James’s encounter with a mysterious Japanese woman (Yumi Nagashima, excellent) who also pursues bicycles, has more twists and turns than it should, making the film feel longer than its relatively short running time.

Despite its flaws, james The film (not necessarily the characters) proves to be an understated, quirky charmer, with visual humor that at times resembles an old silent comedy, while the central character stumbles through life like a modern-day Buster Keaton life. Despite its decidedly smaller budget, this impressionistic debut has an exquisitely refined feel, with a folk-and-blues-rich score (Danny Eberhart, Sally Jorgensen, and Max Train all composed Music) greatly exaggerates its alternative atmosphere.

The lean Beach leads the film deftly, finding dark humor in its title character while resisting the urge to gain sympathy from the audience, while Paulina Muñoz plays a character sympathetic to James’ plight. A great supporting role as the collector sister.