JERUSALEM is a vivid documentary about how three faiths somehow manage to coexist in an exclusive piece of international real estate: a spiritual nexus of humanity. The film is only 45 minutes long, so there's scarcely enough time to go into the city's history. Even the portion on biblical archeology could be expanded into a multi part series. Basically, the filmmakers show modern-day JERUSALEM through the eyes of three young women - Christian, Muslim, and Jewish - as they try to explain why the city is so special to them.
The problem is - the young women don't get to explain why Jerusalem is so special. Individual sequences are ravishing, with a wealth of long tracking shots and a few astonishing digital recreations. The film itself, however, doesn't have much of a story or point of view.
Without a specific focus or point of view, JERUSALEM can seem like eye-candy; visually engaging, but emotionally remote.
The problem is - the young women don't get to explain why Jerusalem is so special. Individual sequences are ravishing, with a wealth of long tracking shots and a few astonishing digital recreations. The film itself, however, doesn't have much of a story or point of view.
Without a specific focus or point of view, JERUSALEM can seem like eye-candy; visually engaging, but emotionally remote.