James- Raindance Film Festival 2025

Writers: Dylan Beatch and Max Train

Director: Max Train

Despite being filmed in black and white and its plot concerning the disproportionate impact of a stolen bicycle James (written by Dylan Beatch and Max Train and starring the former and directed by the latter) owes more to Wes Anderson than to the iconic Bicycle Thieves. There is a deliberately larger than life tone and affection for society’s outcasts and outsiders.

The audience knows hard-drinking James (Dylan Beatch) is a nihilist because, in a film that does not hesitate to state the obvious, a character tells him this is the case. But it is apparent from his self-destructive behaviour. James displays a reckless death wish by engaging in drunken street fights and provoking unnecessary conflict- when invited to make a contribution to the church-run shelter where he resides James pees in the mop bucket.

Having reached rock bottom (James’s fall from grace is depicted as him literally sinking into a pile of garbage) James spies possible redemption in the form of the frame of an old bike. Restoring the bicycle to working order gives James a sense of purpose and he gains employment as a courier delivering packages. Unfortunately this brings his machine to the attention of the unscrupulous Valentin DeWolfe (Trevar Fox). Valentin is aware the bike is a valuable collector’s item and, when his offer to buy it is rebutted, does not hesitate to resort to theft with violence.

Max Train defiantly sets a bright artificial tone for a movie that could otherwise become downbeat. A park is signposted ‘Dude Chilling Park’. James’s redemption is illustrated by a broadly-grinning Dylan Beatch cycling in front of obviously filmed scenic backdrops. The soundtrack (by Danny Eberhardt, Sally Jorgensen and director Train) also helps point out the obvious with lyrics that occasionally describe what is being shown on screen- the lyrics say ‘went searching by the train yard and found a mess of steel’ as James walks along railway sidings scavenging materials to repair the bike.

James is a self-indulgent film. Characters regularly engage in lengthy monologues. An impassioned speech about wartime experiences from James’s supervisor just leads up to a rather weak punchline. The inclusion of some scenes adds little to the movie. A framing sequence of James being arrested and interrogated seems unnecessary as he is simply released from custody but it does have a very funny sequence of the police officers defining ‘pugnacious’ and trying to put the word in context.

James is something of an enigma, the reasons why he is such a twerp are not revealed nor is it clear why the bicycle causes him to rethink his options. Dylan Beatch does not overdo the careworn James’s redemption. The changes are slight but telling – paying his rent -rather than unconvincingly elaborate. The supporting characters are sweetly exaggerated which suits the tone of the film although the running gag about the heavy Irish accents of a pair of thugs making their threats incomprehensible goes on a bit long.

Although set in Vancouver’s seedy underbelly James is romantic rather than dour with a glossy sheen to the black and white film that brings to mind a classic noir thriller.

James defies expectations avoiding easy tributes to classic movies and off the peg moralisation to become a genuinely charming tale of saving someone who does not really seem to believe he deserves redemption.

James is screening at the Raindance Film Festival from 18-27 June.