'Heaven Before I Die' (1997) - Izidore K. Musallam.

Right off the bat, this is demonstratively the most singular offering from pyrotechnically-inclined action merchants PM Entertainment, as their uncharacteristically sensitive, melodramatic dramedy 'Heaven Before I Die' is an earnestly told adult fairy tale about the quirky Canadian exodus of withdrawn, physically disabled young man, Jacob (Andy Valasquez Jr), leaving behind his close-knit loving family in Palestine in the sincere hope of living a more fulfilling life in the far-flung promised land of metropolitan Toronto! With whimsical shades of 'Being There' and 'Benny & Joon', you certainly have to credit indie writer/director Musallam for attempting to imbue his film with an elegiac sense of the mystic, but, sadly, he was unable to fully suspend this viewer's disbelief.

'Heaven Before I Die' has warmly optimistic qualities, but is ultimately a frustratingly episodic experience, there's a nagging sense that some essential magical component was either lost in the edit, or, perhaps, wasn't on the page to start with. At its best, an amiable misfire, the playful indie comedy's strengths are its endearingly innocent Chaplin impersonating protagonist, Jacob, and the wonderful cast, with an especially colourful performance from, Giancarlo Giannini as the charismatic, small-time thief who takes a shine to the kindly, ingenuous émigré, drawing him into his murky world of petty larceny which the gentle, childlike, physically impaired, Jacob is profoundly ill suited for! Technical aspects are solid, rather than exceptional, while the text provides some laughs and moderate pathos, the romantic elements felt contrived, but cinema icon, Omar Sharif's final act cameo as poet Kahlil Gibran is genuinely charming.