Import or domestic?

Movies about where the heart is

No matter where you were born, home—aside from being where the heart is—is where you live the seminal moments of your life: that first kiss, graduation, making the friends that will be at your funeral. Jonathan Rossetti is an east coast expat to Tulsa, a fact that he’s clearly come to terms with in his directorial debut (and often striking visual love letter) “Home, James.” (See trailer below)  

James (Rossetti) is a budding art photographer looking for the inspiration to open a gallery show. As a side gig he runs a one-man “sober driver” service. He drives the drunk to their homes in their own cars and rides back on a tiny, folding motor scooter. James soaks in those urban vistas those nights, seeking celluloid inspiration.

On a pick-up he meets Cooper (Kerry Knuppe), a Blue Dome dweller who likes to drink a lot. Sparks fly, especially after they cross paths again at a wedding that James is shooting freelance. Cooper makes her intentions clear even as they fall hard for each other: no matter what, she’s leaving for New York in one month to make something of herself.

But even as Cooper inspires James to lock down a gallery show, her love of hard drinking threatens to derail her own ambitions and ruin what fleeting moments she has left with James.  

At once a romantic drama suffused with moments of comedy thanks mostly to James’ quirky friends at the film shop (including Tulsan and Paul Verhoeven regular Marshall Bell), “Home, James” isn’t the weightiest film of its kind. But Rossetti establishes an amiable tone that’s at once atmospheric and personal, layered with a lighthearted wryness. Plot-wise it doesn’t drag, and there’s nothing leaden about it, though the theme of Cooper’s alcoholism threatens to crush the character under its one-dimensionality. Her self-destructive tendencies are a load-bearing part of the narrative, but as a character she isn’t quite as complicated and well-fleshed as she needs to be. While James and Cooper are at the center, it’s the world around them that gives them weight.  

“Home, James” is often gorgeous and Rossetti (with cinematographer George Su) clearly has a photographer’s eye for what looks cool about this place, sometimes utilizing a dual-frame lens that mirrors James’s own photos. 

As James, Rossetti turns in a charming yet thoughtfully reserved performance while Kerry Knuppe gives life to Cooper, shining through the boozy affectations with genuine grace. And man, does she look a lot like Heather Graham. 

Rick Dacey as James’s best buddy, Mike, gives a light-hearted turn in a romantic sub-plot involving James’s shutter-nerd co-worker, Sam (Julie Gearheard), a pair that, on the surface, seems more functional than James and Cooper. But Rossetti and Knuppe share a tangible chemistry that sells the romance right from their awkward first-kiss at sunrise, a shot so lovely you’ll forget they’re on the west side. 

Scenes set in Arnie’s and Dwelling Spaces, among other recognizable locales, seem almost surreal through the filter of Rossetti’s lens. If you live downtown you’ll probably recognize most of the locations and probably some of the extras. Of course, none of that much matters except to the people who live here. But it’s clear that Rossetti’s love of Tulsa isn’t just a plot device. 

Rossetti proves to be a talent, in front of and behind the camera. “Home, James” wears its heart on its sleeve, but in a genuine way that makes me look forward to that what Rossetti has to say next. 

Starts Friday, May 9, at Circle Cinema. Showtimes and tickets. 

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