La Vie de Jesus

aka: Life of Jesus
France 1997, 96 minutes
Dir. Bruno Dumont
In French with English subtitles
Rating: [R18]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama, Suspense/Crime / Youth

Topics: Petrolheads.

Aroview: Virtuoso bleakness from the dir. of TWENTYNINE PALMS, in his debut study of alienated existence for a group of unruly skinheads in rural Flanders who fight off the ennui with motorbike pranks, furtive sex, and cultivated emnities with a local Arab family.

Evoking the humanistic visions of Robert Bresson and Vittorio De Sica in putting social 'outcasts' at its centre, at the same time this conveys a peculiarly drab provinciality of the late-20th century. While some may despair of its slowness, attuned viewers will find much to savour in the plainly-conveyed landscapes and amoral characters.

NZ International Film Festival 1998