Belgian visionary Jaco Van Dormael's innovative and fantastical black comedy ‘The Brand New Testament’ situates God in a drab flat in modern-day Brussels. The film was Nominated for a Golden Globe in 2016.
Petty and vindictive, this God giggles as he forces toast to land jam-side down and ensures whichever queue his chosen victim is in lasts the longest. He lives with his docile wife and their children, perceptive 10-year-old daughter Ea (an excellent performance from young actress Pili Groyne) and son "JC", who together form a plan: they'll acquire six new disciples and create a brand new testament. Their communications policy? A text message sent to everyone on earth to let them know.
Flamboyant and defiant, van Dormael's film is a vastly entertaining religious satire, but one with room for humanity and optimism.
★★★★ "God's not dead, just useless, in a sweet and blasphemous satire" - Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian
15
112 minutes
2016
European, Drama, Comedy
Belgium
French, German
English
Metrodome