Given the world's recent refugee crisis, it is surprising how few films on the topic have hit the big screen. Journey goes some way to rectify this with a lighthearted story about an Indian tourist who, through the fickle finger of fate, is mistaken for a refugee.
Built on a series of flashbacks, Aja (played by Dhanush) recounts his tale of woe and misfortune to three young delinquents. Guided by Dhanush's warm-hearted voiceover, Aja rises from the Mumbai slums in search of his estranged father, making his way to Paris only to be swept away by love and an ill-fated nap in the wrong place. As the title suggests, it becomes an extraordinary adventure that takes him via planes, trucks, ships and hot air balloons across Europe and Northern Africa.
Liberally drizzled with glugs of whimsy and twee, Journey mixes magical realism with deadpan comedy to give a visually lush film that unashamedly borrows heavily from (among others) Slumdog Millionaire. However, it never achieves the same level of depth and polish, operating instead in fits and starts and frenetically shifting gears through an array of emotions.
At a modest ninety-two minutes, it's almost impossible to do Aja's many encounters justice. Beholden to Romain Puertolas' best-selling book, the screenwriters felt it necessary to not leave anything out. The shoe-horning in of its many parts is a gamble that doesn't quite pay-off, resulting in a retelling potholed with more tonal disparity than Dominion Road during roadwork season. Ben Miller (Paddington 2) for instance, appears in a bizarre cabaret styled cameo, and Berenice Bejo's (The Artist) odd love triangle feels like a head-scratching after-thought.
And yet, there is a radiant warmth emanating from Journey's lead performance. Dhanush adds a sense of restorative sincerity to a production that often feels too overstuffed for its own good. This, coupled with a well-meaning subtext about the displacement and dehumanisation of refugees, and you have a movie that does eventually deliver its parcel by the final act — even if it is tenuously wrapped.
