Director(s): Jaco Van Dormael
Countries: France, Belgium & Luxembourg
Main actor(s)/actress(es): Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, Yolande Moreau, François Damiens & Pili Groyne
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Summary: We all know God (Benoît Peolvoorde) but did you know that he lives in Brussels? More precisely in a dirty old flat at the top of a condo with his wife (Yolande Moreau) and his daughter Ea (Pili Groyne) - his son JC was mischievous and left home. Ea is unhappy as she watches her dad torture people with unfair laws as well as being abusive towards herself and her mom. Her act of revenge is to send a text message to everyone with the date of their death. Following this she goes on an adventure to find her new apostles in a crazy and original journey.
Review/Comment:
Once more a critically acclaimed movie and it was even nominated at the Golden Globes in 2016! Jaco Van Dormael is undeniably a very gifted director and won different awards during his career, namely for Le huitième jour (1996). He also has a very personal and original style and manages to create a poetic and highly metaphorical atmosphere in his recent movies (e.g., Le Tout nouveau testament or also in Mr. Nobody in 2009). The trailer already shows the quirkiness and singularity of this movie and I was definitely not disappointed when I watched the whole thing.
Le tout nouveau testament was not exactly what I was expecting, which was mainly a quirky comedy. I believe it achieves much more than that in the sense that it does address some questions such as the role of men in society (patriarchy, e.g.), the reflection on existence (how to live your life, enjoying every single moment, etc.) and also more largely religion and how it can be perceived by some people. Everything is of course approached in a very funny way but also a visually appealing and original style. In other words, Jaco Van Dormael once again manages to make us travel to another world, and even another dimension.
I can definitely understand why some people were disappointed as the trailer tends to advertise some kind of fast-paced comedy while the final product might drag on sometimes and is not (supposed to be) funny all the way through. Moreover, the structure might sometimes be a bit clumsy and repetitions might discourage some viewers. However, I would advise everybody to hang in there and bear with the film because the overall result is outstanding and offers a memorable experience.
I can definitely understand why some people were disappointed as the trailer tends to advertise some kind of fast-paced comedy while the final product might drag on sometimes and is not (supposed to be) funny all the way through. Moreover, the structure might sometimes be a bit clumsy and repetitions might discourage some viewers. However, I would advise everybody to hang in there and bear with the film because the overall result is outstanding and offers a memorable experience.
Vocabulary:
Un dieu = a god
Une déesse = a goddess
Une loi = a law
La mort = the death
Un appart(ement) = a flat
