Journey to Jah (2014)
The forceful feature-length documentary Journey to Jah by Noel Dernesch and Moritz Springer catches the global phenomenon of crossing borders by documenting the experiences of integration in a foreign culture. The film follows the internationally acclaimed European musicians Gentleman and Alborosie, which found a new spiritual home within the reggae culture while Jamaican singer Terry Lynn takes the other direction integrating European styles into her music.
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A story about the meaning of Rastafari, about the emancipation of the mind while the body is kept in chains. This is clearly not for all viewers, but if you find fascination in the Jamaican culture, in the idea of a free spirit you will enjoy it. The patois spoken is completely at ease, it is beautiful to listen to the conversation between Gentleman and Alborosie and to find the deep meaning hidden in every phrase. The cinematography portraying the messy ghettos and the sunny beaches is very well put together by the makers of this film who, I think, totally understood the Jamaican spirit and showed us an opposite world from the Babylon we live in.
"Journey to Jah" was written and directed by Noël Dernesch and Moritz Springer. For both it was the very first movie they worked on and so far there is no news if there is gonna be a second. I am not too big on reggae music, but I like pretty much all genres, some more, some less, so why not give this one a chance. The background information about reggae music the film gave were okay all in all, even though I have to say the movement and style is not exactly my cup of tea.In the center of the film we have Gentleman and Alborosie, a German and an Italian musician. Gentleman has been pretty famous here for many years, so I knew a bit about him and his songs. He's the one name you know as a reggae musician, even if you're not deeper into the scene. Alborosie, however, was completely new to me, but maybe Italians know a bit more about him already or maybe not as he is living in Jamaica and has completely turned Jamaican in terms of lifestyle, family etc.When the two sang together in the studio, it sounded slightly odd, but the final recording of the song which is played towards the end sounded pretty good. Gentleman is like creamy peanut butter and Alborosie with his rough style like crunchy peanut butter and it worked out pretty nicely. It's as much fun listening to Gentleman as it ever was. His voice is really wonderful. Despite liking the music the two made together, as a whole, I have to say it was 90 fairly forgettable minutes including a very random appearance by Bob Marley's son Damien. This movie is no must-see unless you're really into reggae lifestyle and it is certainly not the new defining movie therefor. Just listen to some music by the two protagonists instead.