Born to Be Blue (2015)

Directed by Robert Budreau
Country: Canada / USA / UK

I was always a big admirer of Chet Baker’s music, but that’s not the reason why I recommend “Born to Be Blue”, a part real, part fictional drama written, directed, and produced by the Canadian Robert Budreau. 
Ethan Hawke, despite the physical dissimilarities, was chosen to play the trumpeter, and he does it intimately enough to make us forget such an important detail.

The film takes us to the early 50’s where we can listen to the beautiful standard ‘Let’s Get Lost’, immortalized by Mr. Baker, one of the greatest representatives of the West Coast jazz scene. The black and white images tell us that we’re before a memorable moment recovered from the past. 
The present, portrayed in color, shows a quite different reality. Now a heroin addict, Chet Baker lies on the floor of a prison cell and gets the visit of a filmmaker who wants him to play himself in a movie about his earlier years as a heroin addict. During the shootings, Chet makes an impression on Jane (Carmen Ejogo), a struggling actress who agrees to go out with him. That night was only pleasurable until a certain point because Chet’s dealer resolved to settle their accounts by breaking all his teeth. This was the cruelest punishment for the trumpet player who's told he won't play again.

Emotionally devastated, Chet will ever accept this sentence. With his mouth still sore, he tries to play until he spits blood.
However, Jane stays always by his side, becoming his dear girlfriend and supporter. With her, Chet finds a genuine love that gradually makes him recover the lost stability and gain not only the confidence to play again but also the strength to stay away from drugs. After an arduous adaptation to the instrument, new opportunities will come up and the success is in no one’s hands but the musician’s.

Mr. Budreau’s approach is aesthetically neat, giving us more a good general idea about the man’s life than a detailed portraiture. 
Even though, we get concrete notions about Chet’s relationships, namely with his sour father, a professional musician who gave up playing and says to be embarrassed about his son; his old producer and friend, Dick Bock; and his fellow jazz trumpeters, the friendly Dizzy Gillespie, and the usually critical Miles Davis.
By using spasmodic flashbacks, the film might not always be chronologically elucidating but evokes the times with honesty and sensitivity.
Amidst the entertaining moments, there were two magical ones, when Chet sings ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘I’ve Never Been in Love Before’ with all his soul.

Standing Tall (2015)

Directed by Emmanuelle Bercot
Country: France

A fiery and convincing performance by the young Rod Paradot wasn’t enough to illuminate “Standing Tall”. 
The film addresses the juvenile delinquency with hope and intensity, but the director, Emmanuelle Bercot (“On My Way”), who co-wrote with Marcia Romano, would need a more in-depth script to add something valuable to what Truffaut’s “400 Blows” and Dolan’s “Mommy” presented in regard to the same topic.

Paradot is Malony Ferrandot, a troubled, fatherless kid who was abandoned at the age of six by his immature, irresponsible, and drug addict mother, Severine, thoroughly played by Sara Forestier.
Under the care of the national protection of minors, Malony grows up infringing the laws without getting rid of his bad temper or control his turbulent emotions. He’s an assiduous presence in the Dunkerque’s juvenile court where the children’s magistrate, Florence Blaque (a discreet role for Catherine Deneuve), and a counselor, Yann Le Vigan (Benoît Magimel), who, due to a similar past, understands the kid better than anyone, join forces to give him the opportunities to change. 
Despite recovered, Yann still has moments of weakness and frustration. He suffers and vacillates by observing Malony wasting his life.
 
The teenager’s uncontrollable rage makes him fall over and over again into the same mistakes, and the reconnection with his mother, who ends up losing her youngest son to a juvenile accommodation center due to negligence, only makes things worse. In one of the most memorable scenes of the film, Malony steals a car and drives like crazy with his childish mother and little brother laughing in the backseat. 
At the age of 17, he agrees to attend an educational program in a remote special facility. There, the atmosphere can be hostile among the delinquents, but he discovers Tess (Diane Rouxel), his teacher’s daughter who, nurturing a sincere fondness for him, becomes decisive in a miraculous transformation.

Regardless the convenient positivism, the social nature of the drama alternates between the acceptable and the mediocre. 
Mrs. Bercot’s muscled scenes are quite effective, however, their developments are scarcely satisfying, showcasing trifling situations drawn from a script that’s not totally devoid of clichés. 
Disappointingly, “Standing Tall” can only be cautiously recommended, having the credible performances as its most consistent element.

Frankenstein (2015)

Directed by Bernard Rose
Country: USA / Germany

Bernard Rose’s artful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel, “Frankenstein”, is a double-edged sword that probably will only gratify the staunchest fans of the horror genre.
The story, altered to fit the modern days, can be described as extremely violent, highly depressing, and frequently repugnant. These attributes might be an asset for any horror movie, but “Frankenstein’s narrative was weaved with an incessant naivety that shortly makes us disregard the intrinsic concept of its indelible imagery.

Bernard Rose, whose career has been built by more downs than ups, creates a modern monster that sets foot in the outside world after being conceived through an unorthodox experience carried out by a married couple of scientists, Marie (Carrie-Anne Moss) and Viktor Frankenstein (Danny Huston). The boy, who came to life after a long permanence in a sort of a comatose state, is called Adam (Xavier Samuel). He’s the pride of the creators who become marveled with his beauty and perfection. This euphoric state comes to an end when they realize that something went wrong. The hyper-resilient Adam, who shows to have the strength of ten men but the mind of a one-year-old, suddenly becomes pockmarked with ulcers in his face and all over his body. 
He’s entrusted to the staff of scientists, who should study the case closely and then get rid of him for good. However, the forlorn Adam learns how to defend himself, killing everyone except his beloved ‘papa’ and ‘mama’.
Unaware of his acts, Adam throws a little girl into the river, becoming persecuted by everyone in town, including a couple of ruthless cops who, unmercifully and in vain, attempt to murder him. He makes of an opulent German shepherd his best friend, and later on, joins the homeless Eddie Child (Tony Todd), a blind guitar player, who asks his prostitute friend, Wanda (Maya Erskine), to take care of the boy’s sexual initiation, leading to disastrous consequences. 
From that particular moment on, the film becomes utterly drippy, taking on familiar directions that feel undistinguished and even less convincing.

A worthy aspect here is Xavier Samuel’s solid performance, well followed by Mr. Rose’s regular, Danny Huston, and the outstanding Carrie-Anne Moss, even appearing briefly.
As for the rest, this derivative “Frankenstein” was gruffly conceived, attempting to impress us through middle shots and close-ups of needles penetrating the human flesh, a creepily ulcerous face and body, brain crumbs taken from an open cranium, and extreme violence in its psychological and physical forms. All these assembled gory treats were slim in its degenerated ambition to create a remarkable adaptation of the gothic novel.

The Confirmation (2016)

Directed by Bob Nelson
Country: Canada

“The Confirmation” is an unfussy comedy-drama that relies on a down-to-earth script to provide us with a good time for relaxation, also taking the opportunity to relaunch Clive Owen who was distant from an interesting role since 2012, when he starred as an MI5 officer in the political thriller, “Shadow Dancer”. 

Directed by Bob Nelson from his own screenplay, the film puts aside the mediocre, pathetic tones brought by the modern comedies in detriment of a sober and more realistic approach, in a story about a sensitive eight-year-old boy who shows a gorgeous complicity with his good-hearted yet alcoholic father.

The smart boy, Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher), despite confused about religion, is preparing himself psychologically to do, all at once, the first communion and the confirmation, within one week. At church, carrying a disarming innocence, he drives the priest crazy as he confesses a total absence of sins. His mother, Bonnie (Maria Bello), and father, Walt (Owen), who no longer live together, are waiting for him outside. Anthony is going to spend the weekend with his dad while Bonnie and her wealthy boyfriend, Kyle (Matthew Modine), go out of town. Walt, a down-on-his-luck carpenter who’s not a bad guy at all, is warned by his ex to stay away from alcohol, an old problem that is still not completely put away.
The weekend brings restlessness for father and son, and not only because of the adult’s drinking problem. After finally being hired for a job, Walt realizes that his valuable toolbox, a legacy of his late father, was stolen from the back of his pickup. Moreover, he receives an eviction note, since he was unable to pay the rent on time, and his car breaks down in the middle of the street.

Breaking into Bonnie’s house and borrowing Kyle’s car, the penniless Walt and the gracious Anthony will undertake a persistent search throughout the town in order to find the thieves and recover the coveted tools.
A few respected ‘informers’ are contacted, cases of Vaughn (Tim Blake Nelson), a reborn Christian who let his kids play with real guns, and Drake (Patton Oswalt), who’s thrilled with the opportunity to play the private investigator and is in the center of the most hilarious situations.

Living from the perfect consonance between Owen and the young Lieberher, the story maintains an amiable disposition and an uninterrupted positive energy that never extinguishes.
Bob Nelson, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for the original screenplay of the extraordinary “Nebraska” (he lost for Spike Jonze), has here an enjoyable directorial debut at the age of 59. By putting into practice a pragmatic plan of action and assuming a subdued predisposition, he created a funny, malleable, optimistic, and well-intended film. 
Even not breaking new ground and feeling impetuous in some of the plot’s resolutions, “The Confirmation” throws in feel-good vibrations and a handful of jokes that really make the grade.

The Witch (2015)

Directed by Robert Eggers
Country: UK / other

Inspired by unsettling historical accounts, legends, and other murky stories, “The Witch”, is a folktale set in New England in the 17th Century, that follows the eerie experiences lived by a family of Puritans, right after they have been banished, due to unclear reasons, from the enclosed settlement where they were living.

William (Ralph Ineson), speaking in a taciturn voice, was unable to convince the court not to excommunicate him and his family. His wife Katherine (Kate Dickie) is disgusted, but the couple can’t do much more than obey the orders and take their four children – elder daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy), son Caleb (Harvey Scrimshaw), and the twins Mercy and Jonas - to a small farm near the woods. There, and after a few months, Katherine gives birth to a fifth child named Samuel, but the promise of a new life becomes shattered by unexplainable happenings that leave the family in spiritual agony.

One day, when Thomasin was taking care of Samuel, the latter mysteriously vanishes, taken into the woods by an evil entity – a heinous witch – that caresses his little belly with a grotesque hand, sacrificing him afterward to produce flying ointment. Thomasin, who frequently prays and confesses her sins to God, couldn’t explain clearly what happened that day, becoming woefully oppressed and making everybody think she may know more about the puzzling episode. 
The already exasperating uneasiness is increased considerably when Caleb also disappears, after a hare with staring eyes, an evil omen that often comes into view, has driven his dog into the woods to be savagely exterminated by the witch. 
Katherine blames Thomasin, who once again was in the company of her brother. Even her twin siblings, who have the strange ability to speak with a black goat, another demonic creature, accuse her of witchcraft. 
However, William comes to her defense when Caleb manages to return to the farm, naked, delirious, and sick both in body and soul.

Now, how good is “The Witch”? 
My attention was completely drawn to the religion and the intangible present in the tale, even if the scares were relatively small in magnitude to make my hair bristled. I was grabbed mostly by the distress and doubt involving the members of the family than the horror per se. 
The director, Robert Eggers, has merit in the way he crafted his debut feature, reserving sharpened gory scenes, appalling revelations, and brutal outcomes for the final section, where the darkness falls over the woods and the living that managed to survive.
The film, investing in gothic pulsations with appropriate period details and restless undertones, is a pretty valid option if you’re looking for some mesmeric mysticism and slow crawling shivers.

The Survivalist (2015)

Directed by Stephen Fingleton
Country: UK

Directed with heart by the newcomer, Stephen Fingleton, “The Survivalist” is a remarkable British drama of dark contours that evolves in the most captivating way.

The story, a product of Mr. Fingleton’s auspicious mind, is set in an indistinct place, during the rough times of hunger and chaos, and centers on a permanently watchful survivalist (Martin McCann) whose life becomes highly agitated when he gets the visit of Kathryn (Olwen Fouere) and Milja (Mia Goth), respectively mother and daughter, who arrived at his secluded cabin in the hope to exchange their old jewels for food. 
This man, exhibiting a Mohawk haircut and always carrying a rifle, lives there for seven years now. Very meticulous in his ingenious efforts of growing crops, the exclusive sustenance, he's often haunted by the death of his reckless brother. 
Since he doesn’t trust anybody, the exchange proposed by the women is refused, but his libido is high – the photograph of a woman (a former girlfriend?) is recurrently used to obtain sexual satisfaction - and he couldn’t say no when Kathryn suggests he can have her daughter for one night.
The women end up staying longer than predicted, offering their help. But an insidious behavior indicates that their intentions are far from respectable. Nonetheless, Milja becomes genuinely infatuated with the man, who seems a bit more accepting when she’s present. At some point, there’s an interesting conversation between the cunning mother and the furtive daughter, in which they come to the conclusion that eventually they might need the protection of their host.

A couple of tense episodes enhances the tale when Milja becomes a hostage of a predatory stranger, and also when a group of envious, faced-covered men destroys much of their already limited provisions. The balance is very dark since what’s left is barely enough to feed two. This worrisome situation hauls us to a tremendous climax that disseminates surprise after surprise.

Evincing a sharp eye for detail, Mr. Singleton succeeds in his efforts to suggest a world of violence, fear, suspicion, and selfishness. But that’s not all, because there’s also love and hope soaring in this unsettling, riveting, and quietly gripping thriller, which may be sparse in words but assertive in actions. Also, the top-notch performances by the trio of actors were vital, opening the way for such levels of consistency.

Fireworks Wednesday (2016)

Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Country: Iran

Originally dated from 2006, “Fireworks Wednesday”, is a not-so-known major accomplishment from the celebrated filmmaker, Asghar Farhadi, one of the most acclaimed voices of the Iranian cinema. The Film Forum in New York recently retrieved his third feature, which was already revealing the filmmaker’s keen propensity for realism, as well as his capacity to devise potent family dramas that never feel vulgar and instantly occupy your eyes and mind with its deeply eloquent and susceptible environments.
The film, set in the contemporary Tehran on the Persian New Year, is an honest examination of marriage and infidelity in the very particular society where it takes place.

The central character is Rouhi (Taraneh Alidoosti), a young woman who works for a cleaning agency and is about to get married to a man who’s crazy for her.
One day she’s assigned to clean the apartment of a married couple that is living an intractable marital crisis. The constant arguments between Mojdeh (Hediyeh Tehrani) and Morteza (Hamid Farokhnezhad) are reflected in their apartment whose windows were broken the night before and where everything is placed upside down. The couple’s son, Amir Ali (Matin Heydarnia), is pretty compelling in showing the affliction derived from the distress of witnessing the state of disaffection that his parents fell into. Gradually, Rouhi starts to understand the anguish of Mojdeh who has reasons to believe that her husband is having an affair with the woman next door, Simin (Pantea Bahram), an independent mother who turned her apartment into a clandestine hair salon.
Confused, Rouhi is caught in the middle of the gossips and, by turns, is used by both wife and husband in their desperate schemes.

I don’t have enough laudable words to describe the magnificent performances, authentic dramatic acting lessons for the ones interested in learning the plainness of the art.
The camerawork is another glorious achievement by Mr. Farhadi who cohesively weaves the little fragments that seamlessly express the whole without wasting one single minute of our time. Every scene is meaningful and is there for a reason, allowing us to apprehend the story effortlessly.

Thoroughly absorbing, “Fireworks Wednesday” is anchored in the truthfulness of many men-women relationships. It's a powerful storytelling put up with brilliancy.

Summertime (2015)

Directed by Catherine Corsini
Country: France / Belgium

“Summertime” gently addresses a lesbian relationship between a 23-year-old country girl and a 35-year-old Parisian teacher who’s also a feminist militant. The year is 1971, and as expected, the society evinces a lot of discrimination and bias regarding the homosexual.

The inexperienced but tremendously competent Izia Higelin is Delphine, a tireless young woman who helps her parents on their farm, driving a tractor and collecting the hay to be stored. Delphine is attracted to women, having a secret 'friend' that informs her she’s going to get married to a man she doesn’t love just to change her life and escape the boring country life. Delphine feels tied and lonely in Limousin, a conservative little town, condemned to live with her family or eventually with Antoine (Kévin Azaïs), a farmer neighbor who’s in love with her since they were kids.

Life changes for the better when she goes to Paris with the intention of gaining her financial independence and bumps into Carole, played by the mature Cécile de France, a well-spoken feminist leader who, despite married and preliminarily hesitant, embarks on a torrid relationship with the country girl, abandoning everything to be with her.
Those jubilant times come to an end when Delphine's father, Maurice (Jean-Henri Compère) has a stroke, and she’s forced to return to the countryside to assist her quietly observant mother, Monique (Noémie Lvovsky), in the daily duties. Once deeply in love, the separation becomes unbearable for the two women, leading Carole to the farm.
Tension emerges when Antoine discovers their secret, refusing to be Delphine’s cat’s-paw. The case gets even bigger magnitude when Monique catches them sleeping together, and Delphine has to make the biggest decision of her life: family or love. 

The film, directed and co-written by Catherine Corsini (“The New Eve”, “Leaving”, Three Worlds”) and warmly photographed by Jeanne Lapoirie (“Under the Sand”, “8 Women”), is converted into a rural melodrama after exhibiting activist demeanors painted with the 70's look.
Here and there, the story spreads some charm, but Ms. Corsini was unable to suppress a narrative unevenness. The message is valid; it was the attitude adopted and the way the film was cooked that could be slightly superior. I’m convinced that a raw approach, in the style of an indie drama, would have created a better impression. Anyway, as we reach the nostalgic conclusion, it's clear that the strong performances guarantee satisfactory dramatic levels in Ms. Corsini's effort.

My Golden Days (2015)

Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
Country: France

In “My Golden Days”, the French director Arnaud Desplechin brings us a coming-of-age tale focused on his most recurrent character, Paul Dedalus, once again played by the leading Mathieu Amalric. 20 years ago, the latter had embodied Dedalus in “My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument”, which is the sequel to this latest film. Mr. Amalric was also present in the 2008 comedy-drama, “A Christmas Tale”, but back then, the role of a very young Paul Dedalus was entrusted to Emile Berling.

Dedalus is a single, middle-aged French anthropologist who spent the last 10 years of his life in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and now is willing to return to France. However, at the airport, he’s confronted with the fact that there was another man in Australia who had exactly the same identity. Not surprised at all, Paul explains that this is a consequence of the political years of his youth, time when, in a very serious and committed way, he and his friend Marc Zylberberg, went on a school trip to Minsk, USSR, where they volunteered and were instructed to help Russian citizens to escape to Israel. 
Paul puts his memory into work and progressively we are clarified about how he became involved in this fight, his traumatic childhood in Roubaix, and above all, the arduous relationship with Esther (Lou Roy-Lecollinet), the object of a penetrating love that sank its sharp teeth so deeply in his heart that, even nowadays, he carries its well-defined marks.

The unsentimental Paul, compellingly played by Quentin Dolmaire in the adolescent phase, guides us through the adverse atmosphere lived at home after the death of his mother, the peculiarities of his siblings, and shortly after, fixates steadily in the despairs and anguishes that entangled Esther, the promiscuous sweet girl who couldn’t bear any of the other girls - including Paul’s sister - and always felt vulnerable despite having so many boys after her. All of a sudden, she switches from highly sociable to depressively lonely, from confident to frightened, and from popular to dependable. Her emotional state deteriorates more and more with the constant absences of Paul, who was studying in Paris.

In his maturity, Paul’s incessant examination of his own mistakes also finds culpability in Kovalki (Pierre Andrau), the friend who betrayed him with Esther. The fortuitous encounter between the former friends ended up showing Paul’s persistent bitterness in regard to the situation. 
Despite this demeanor, don’t assume that Paul had never touched another girl when dating Esther. There was Gilberte, Esther’s older friend, who had a boyfriend at the time but couldn’t avoid letting her skirt slipping down her waist whenever he was around.

As always, Mr. Desplechin paints the picture with delicate strokes, conveying that sort of melancholy that feels very French. He’s a natural seducer, sometimes reflective, sometimes just slightly expansive in its formalism. Occasionally, we can sense a rigidness of processes and an almost puerile pose that swings between artsy and pretentious, which may be the reason why “My Golden Days” didn’t fully work in my eyes and isn’t as enchanting as “Kings & Queen” or “A Christmas Tale”. While some ‘truths’ seem genuine, other seem too poetically staged, and Mr. Desplechin, who co-wrote with Julie Peyr, keeps struggling in the face of this reality.
Still, one can’t deny the intimacy and complicity drawn by the young actors, or the gleam in Mr. Almaric’s eyes when reminiscing fundamental aspects of his story - family, friends, politics, sex, and an unforgettable love.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg
Country: USA

I’m tempted to advise you not to set foot in 10 Cloverfield Lane, Louisiana. Still, I don’t feel good by telling you to stay out of it, either. Well, I’m just a bit confused and undecided, just as the brave heroine of this film was before putting herself together from the initial shock. 
The best way of dealing with “10 Cloverfield Lane”, an improbable cocktail made of “Room” and a tiny bit of “District 9”, is actually watching it from the comfort of a theater where you can immerse yourself in a fantastic story/idea created by Josh Campbell and Matthew Stuecken, and written for the big screen by the same duo with the precious hand of Damien Chazelle (“Whiplash”).
The film marks the directorial debut of Dan Trachtenberg, who relies on producers with the caliber of J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, as well as on an amazing cast comprised of John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher Jr., to drive us into this very peculiar psychological thriller with hints of sci-fi, which efficiently plays with our senses throughout the course of events.

The human species seems to be under a mysterious attack of uncertain nature, and the only man who has everything ready to escape the fatality is Howard (Goodman), an ex-Navy who dwells in an occult bunker, under lock and key, and located in a secluded flat land where it’s hard to find a reason why anybody would want to stop by. The bunker, cozily fixed underneath the surface, was primarily constructed for survival purposes. We learn that a long time before, Howard was predicting a disaster like this. It’s Emmett (Gallagher Jr.) who says so, the man who helped him build the place and also takes shelter there. Unexpectedly, or maybe not, Howard embraces a new tenant whose astuteness and strong personality put in danger his security rules and methods.

After abandoning home due to an ugly argument with her boyfriend, Michelle (Winstead) has a violent car crash that leaves her unconscious for some time. By the time she recovers, she realizes she lies on a mattress placed on the floor of an empty room, and that one of her legs is chained to a wall. At this point, the terror is high and the answers are nil, but the pretty accessible, Howard, slowly introduces himself as the respected and decent man who saved her. Politely, with a sad voice, he informs her that the outside air became unbreathable due to an attack, which could have been chemical or nuclear, and most likely there are no other survivors on Earth apart from them. 
Michelle isn’t convinced about the story and even plans an evasion. However, the following sequence of incidents will push her back and forth. Amidst a few legitimate suspicions about her savior and the proof that there’s really something wrong out there, the crafted Michelle, makes of intelligence her best weapon, giving wings to the imagination in order to better deal with the claustrophobic condition she was put in.

Mr. Trachtenberg’s clever moves infuse the proper amounts of tension, often making the viewers questioning what’s right and what’s wrong. Moreover, he was able to take under control both the pace and the mood while the actions and dialogues never felt forced or unreasonable. 
Absolutely gripping and much funnier than I could have imagined, “10 Cloverfield Lane” never stops to surprise you, also being a showcase for the flawless actors.
Mr. Goodman, in particular, shows how great he can be, no matter what genre or role.

Son of Saul (2015)

Directed by László Nemes
Country: Hungary

It wasn’t by chance that “Son of Saul”, a brooding drama set in Auschwitz in 1944, won the Gand Prix at Cannes and was considered the best foreign language film both in the 88th Academy Awards and Golden Globes. 
Skillfully, the debutant Hungarian director, László Nemes, who co-wrote with Clara Royer, conjures up a great story taken from an exhausted topic, imbuing it with a disconcerting vision, an adroit narrative articulation, and a fresh approach that automatically confers him the title of very distinctive.

The story, showcasing a relentless psychological strength and a feverish search for humaneness in times of insult and negligence of human values, focuses on Saul Auslander (Géza Röhrig), a Hungarian Jew who works at the most famous Nazi extermination camp as a Sonderkommando member. The ones who belong to this group, also known as “bearers of secrets”, were in charge of conducting their fellow Jews to the gas chambers, cleaning the nauseating mess afterwards, and ultimately burning the dead bodies. 
One day, Saul decides to bury the body of a young boy who, miraculously, was still breathing when he was taken out of the gas chamber. Inevitably, the boy succumbs, but from that moment on, Saul takes him as his own son. A burial procedure is not allowed under any circumstances, and the obsessed Saul, well identified by the big red X on the back of his coat, will need the cooperation of a few mates as well as of the doctor who should proceed with the autopsy, to carry on with his intent. He also needs to guarantee the presence of a rabbi to make sure the proper words will be said.
 
By approaching the convenient persons, one by one, Saul fiercely sticks to this noble idea, searching for some dignity in a place where there’s no dignity at all. He seems impelled by a superior force he cannot control, exposing himself to a few perilous situations as he conveys all the personal victories and frustrations to the viewer. This could be achieved thanks to Mr. Röhrig’s outstanding performance, an asset to the extraordinary direction of Mr. Nemes, who draws an afflictive, inebriating effect from the agitated yet well-planned handheld camera. His filmmaking style – the film was shot at a close range from the subject, with the camera often placed behind his back - makes us see everything through the eyes of a man who can’t be stopped no more, even knowing that death is his most probable destiny.

“Son of Saul” is an uncomfortable drama, built in an almost delirious way. It’s not an easy watch, especially when you start to believe that it’s going to take you somewhere righteous, and minutes later you realize that darkness will take over and win the battle. I wasn’t expecting anything cheerful, and still its inconsolable paths struck me as a lightning bolt.
It’s a golden debut for Mr. Nemes, who engendered a new visual and narrative perspective to sturdily relaunch the Holocaust theme. One thing I can assure you: this film is like nothing you have seen before.

The Mermaid (2016)

Directed by Stephen Chow
Country: China

Stephen Chow’s zany extravaganza, “The Mermaid”, a massive success in China, presents magical powers that have two possible and distinct effects on a viewer. Due to a clownish temper, this screwball fairy tale with a strong ecological message might irritate those who have no patience for fantasies, dreams, or absurdities. On the other hand, it might work as a buoyant amusement for the ones who, more flexible, don’t mind being pelted with an outlandish storyline, ludicrous jokes, and a general sense of cheesiness that quickly spreads over the pores of your skin.

Shan (Yun Lin) is a beautiful mermaid who, secretly and for many years, lives with her people in the Green Gulf, a formerly protected wildlife area, bought by the womanizer tycoon, Liu Xuan (Chao Deng), who, like Bruce Lee, let himself go with the flow. The invincible and yet lonely, Xuan, who holds a sea reclamation permit, uses powerful sonar technology that drove away all the dolphins and keeps provoking ruinous sickness in the mermaids that inhabit the place in fear of being hunted down by the humans, as always had happened. Trapped and hurt, they manage to find a safe yet small place in an abandoned shipwreck where, together with a hybrid Octopus warrior (Show Luo), the last of his kind, they start planning a revenge. The strategy consists in sending the alluring Shan, who learned to hide her fins and walk in shoes, to seduce the untouchable Xuan, a man of fake mustache and attitudes. The latter openly admits he cannot resist an attractive woman, despite maintaining a deceptive relationship with the manipulative Ruolan (Yuqi Zhang), who sees him as a lowlife and whose only interests are power and money.

The plan goes pretty well at first, but the inevitable happens. After spending a wonderful time together, having a relaxed conversation and eating innumerable roasted chickens, the couple falls in love. He unexpectedly gets sentimental about the chicken, which reminds him his late father, and becomes almost incredulous when she demonstrates not to be interested in his money, throwing a one million dollar check into the fire. In turn, she realizes he’s not so bad as she had thought and starts to understand that his actions are a reflex of a tiresome loneliness and permanent dissatisfaction with his life. As you can imagine, after this enchanting encounter, everything becomes pretty dramatic.
There are a few spectacular chases where Shan sees her life threatened by the troops commanded by the glamorous villain, Ruolan, and the avid Westerner mermaid-hunter, George (Ivan Kotik), who after all shows considerably more decency than she does. On the most memorable scene, the fearless Octopus sacrifices his own tentacles, which become gourmet food for the impassive Xuan, who becomes more conscious about the environment as his heart beats faster for his dear mermaid.

Mr. Chow, who has been conquering both local and foreign audiences with his facetious adventures (“Journey to the West”, “Kung Fu Hustle”), worked with other seven screenwriters on the fairy tale “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, which served as a disengaged inspiration. 
He builds a visually intense fantasy composed of vivid settings and edgy special effects. It can be described as half hilarious, half goofy. 
To be honest, “The Mermaid” is a pretty forgettable movie, but I must admit I was fairly entertained for large periods of its loony time.

Remember (2015)

Directed by Atom Egoyan
Country: Canada / Germany

I went to watch “Remember” with some reservations. All because the Canadian filmmaker of Armenian descent, Atom Egoyan, hasn’t been so inspired in the last few years, presenting trifles such as “Chloe”, “Devil’s Knot”, and “The Captive”. However, his career started incredibly encouraging, and films like “Family Viewing”, “Speaking Parts”, “The Adjuster”, “Calendar”, “Exotica”, and “The Sweet Hereafter”, are no less than fundamental, forming the solid foundations of his individual filmmaking style. 

In “Remember”, Mr. Egoyan redeems himself from the recent frivolous creations and, together with the veteran actor, Christopher Plummer ("The Sound of Music", "Waterloo"), brings into the world an arresting, fairly balanced, and constantly tense drama, which is a subtly relentless revenge tale.

Mr. Plummer is terrific as Zev Gutman, a 90-year-old Auschwitz survivor who lives in a retirement home and struggles with a galloping dementia. Whenever he awakes from his superficial yet recurrent sleep, so characteristic of the old age, the only thing he remembers is his wife Ruth, who had passed away a week before. Invariably, a solace comes from his closest friend, Max Rosenbaum (Martin Landau), another former captive who managed to escape with life from Auschwitz. Max persuades Zev to make a risky, solitary trip to find and kill the former Nazi guard, Rudy Kurlander, the man responsible for the death of his family. Considering that the man’s memory is deteriorating, this is a problematic task that gets even harder when he realizes that there are several Germans called Rudy Kurlander living in the US. Only the right one must die and Zev thinks of himself as the right executioner, as he had promised to his friend. 
Now you are probably asking how the hell he manages to remember about the details of an almost unfeasible mission? The answer is: through a handwritten letter, provided by Max, which contains all the important details he needs to know about himself and thorough instructions to successfully accomplish the task.

The hazardous trip comprehends distinct encounters with different Kurlanders. The first one confesses he always agreed with Hitler and is still proud to be a Nazi, but only served his country in the North of Africa; the second encounter was unexpectedly emotional; the third was a terrifying experience; and the ultimate encounter brings a decisive twist to a story, written by the newcomer Benjamin August, that empowers the overall appreciation of the film.
Without reinventing the wheel, Mr. Egoyan shows a commendable confidence that reverberates in the performances, bestowing the decorous benefits to make the film interesting. Even dealing with a few narrative gaps, he sets up the adequate nail-biting tones to spare us from boredom.

The Automatic Hate (2015)

Directed by Justin Lerner
Country: USA

“The Automatic Hate” is one of those suspenseful family dramas that you expect something emblematic and even predictable to come out of it, but all of a sudden the story switches to something more reinvigorating, even if sporadically hypocrite.

Joseph Cross and Adelaide Clemens competently play two cousins who had never met before and become physically attracted to each other while they try to reunite their fathers. Davies Green (Cross) is a quiet Bostonian chef who lives deeply concerned with the deplorable emotional state of his dancer girlfriend, Cassie (Deborah Ann Woll), after an involuntary abortion. Patient but exhausted, he gives signs of needing some relaxed time to himself, to free his mind from the traumatic wound caused by the happening. A certain night at the bar he regularly attends, he spots a young woman smiling and waving at him. Intrigued and with the certainty she's a complete stranger, he walks toward her, but she runs through the doorway, leaving him thinking what was that all about. On the following day, the same girl buzzes at his door, awkwardly introducing herself as Alexis Green (Clemens). Before disclosing that their fathers are brothers, she starts crying from the excitement, asking for a hug and saying she’s not crazy. This particular overacted scene gives us a notion of how unstable Alexis is. The situation feels even weirder because Davies says his father, Ronald (Richard Schiff), a respected psychologist, has no siblings. The girl leaves the place, not without provoking jealousy in Cassie and dropping a business card in the front of the house.

Ruminating on the matter, Davies finds a clue in one of his mother’s old paintings and gets the confirmation that his father has a brother named Josh (Ricky Jay). After approaching the seductive Alexis, he meets her other two sisters, and the four spend a good time at a local bar - drinking, laughing and misbehaving. 
As they attempt to find answers for what could possibly have separated the two brothers for so many years, Davies and Alexis don’t resist the temptation of being alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods and become physically involved.
Davies eventually gets the family reunited for his grandfather’s funeral, the perfect moment for the director and co-writer, Justin Lerner (“Girlfriend”), to elevate the dramatic side of the story by spicing it up with frontal provocations and hostile attitudes (Clemens is particularly great at this point).  

Mr. Lerner's sophomore feature combines the suspense, coming from unpredictable behaviors between ‘strangers’ and undisclosed past secrets, with the typical turmoil that erupts from dysfunctional families, and still appends an out-of-bounds affair to the tempestuous feast.
In addition, he deliberately surrounds a mystery that is well fed by the ingratiating performances. The result is a minor indie film that, swinging between entertaining and inessential, feels as dodgier as mutable.

Emelie (2015)

Directed by Michael Thelin
Country: USA

“Emelie” is a wobbly thriller written by Rich Herbeck and directed by Michael Thelin. Both screenwriter and director work together on the source material, product of their own minds, in order to take it to the screen.
The film, unsettling at first, put you in a position of wondering what can possibly happen when you entrust your kids to someone you don’t really know.

The opening scene, intentionally shot at a considerable distance, makes us immediately alert by portraying an abduction of a babysitter who’s hauled into a car. Right after the opening credits, we follow Dan Thompson (Chris Beetem) driving, on his way to pick up the babysitter who will be taking care of his three children - Jacob, Sally, and Christopher - while he and his wife, Joyce (Susan Pourfar), go out to celebrate their anniversary. 
The babysitter in question, Anna (Sarah Bolger), is not the regular one. She’s actually a stranger to the family. However, the Thompsons are pretty much certain that everything's going to be fine because Maggie (Elizabeth Jayne), the daily sitter of the house for many years now, was the one who recommended Anna.

The couple leaves the house, not before giving all the instructions and recommendations. Nevertheless, Anna simply neglects everything she was told, allowing an unsafe little chaos at home. Besides the permissive and often uncaring attitude toward the children, Anna, whose true name is Emelie and obviously has no experience with children, acts like a disturbed person, exhibiting an insolent pose of superiority and a reproachable perversity that intrigues. What is the decent creature that seated on the toilet asks an appalled 11-year-old kid to open up a tampon because she just had her period? Or starts watching a very private videotape with the embarrassed children by her side? Or make a poor little girl desperate when she gives her beloved fluffy hamster to be devoured by a snake? Or let the kids play with a real gun?
At this point, I was guessing that this frightening situation might be a revenge for something bad that one of the parents could have done in the past. This assumption gains some ground when we realize that another presence keeps watching the relaxed couple through the window of the restaurant.
One thing was clear, though. These children were under threat. 
A sense of great responsibility falls on the courageous Jacob (Joshua Rush), who has to find a way to stop Emelie’s evil intentions, especially after noticing she had developed a strange obsession with the youngest of the siblings. 

Mr. Thelin, who showed a flair for creating suspense, had done everything right until the beginning of the climax. In the film’s final section, a couple of misrepresented scenes were sufficient to make the whole story collapse. The direction failed exactly where it should have been sturdier to better play with our emotions. Instead, the key moments were set up in a rushed and oversimplified manner, pushing the film into precarious places rather than entertaining. 
I dare to say this wasn’t lack of ambition from the director but the inexperience talking when it comes to handling influential material that will determine if your film has some validation or not. Regardless the admirable performances, “Emelie” would have overcome expectations if less schemed and more qualified in its execution.

Cemetery of Splendor (2015)

Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Country: Thailand / other

If you ask me why Apichatpong Weerasethakul is considered one of the most respectable contemporary directors, my answer is: go see “Cemetery of Splendor”. As an admirer and avid follower of his unique creative style, I can easily state that ‘Cemetery’, in its beautiful humanity, spirituality, gracious humor, and emotional splendor, is the most accessible work of his distinguished career, which comprises titles such as “Blissfully Yours”, “Tropical Malady”, “Syndromes and a Century”, and the Palme D’Or “Uncle Boonmee”.
However, and similar to the films mentioned above, this enchanting opus will only reward the viewers with the time and patience to let themselves be grabbed by the magical spells of life and death, sickness and cure, modern and ancient, physical and spiritual forms, past and present, dream and reality, national and foreign, and happiness and sadness.
Still, I’ve found an extensive openness in this film that I can’t find in any of the others. Perhaps because of its immense generosity since giving and receiving are also central elements of the story.

The enigmatic narrative presents us with Jen (Jenjira Pongpas), a housewife who volunteers at a local hospital and former school, where soldiers spend most of their time sleeping, with colorful respiratory tubes connected to their mouths and noses through a mask. These men are known as the ‘sleeping soldiers’, and all of them suffer from an inexplicable medical condition in which they abruptly fall asleep, remaining in that deep state for several hours. Jen gets fascinated with Keng (Jarinpattra Rueangram), a sympathetic psychic who helps at the hospital and has the ability of mind reading, and befriends with Itto (Banlop Lomnoi), a beloved soldier whom she considers her own son, often taking him out to eat and to engage in warm conversation.
When she’s not with Itto or Keng, the patriotic Jen is with her American boyfriend, Richard Widner, an ex-military who sold everything in the States and came to live with her. In a pretty funny scene, we find them in a shrine offering miniatures of animals to the goddesses in exchange of some requests that includes the cure of her shorter leg and Itto’s condition. 
Later on, the goddesses, in flesh and blood, interact with Jen, and according to them, the soldiers’ mysterious sickness has no solution. The reason is that the hospital where they inhabit is placed on top of a cemetery of kings who use their spirit during the sleep to win ancient battles that continue to occur. In this interaction, the director wittily suggests the factor ‘aging’ as a concern for Jen. The goddesses look so young and their skin is so perfect that only death can do that miracle. They won’t make Jen younger than she is, but rather make her see beyond the physical world that surrounds her.
In the company of a Goddess, she goes on a transcendental expedition, exploring a forest that once was a luxurious palace. The finale is simply enthralling, with Jen with her eyes wide opened in the direction of a destroyed soccer field where kids are playing. What does she see beyond that desolated landscape?

Mr. Weerasethakul’s highly distinctive vision is passed to us through the conjunction of a praiseworthy boldness in the writing and affable cinematic gestures, without the need of one single act of violence or a bad manner to be effective. This tranquility had a mesmeric effect on me, kind of an unutterable feel-good sensation that comes from a righteous world showing compassion, understanding, and good will.
Languid yet rich, peaceful yet liberator, floating yet self-assured, “Cemetery of Splendor”, is a film about the ‘unseen’ that feels simultaneously urgent and indispensable.

The Wave (2015)

Directed by Roar Uthaug
Country: Norway

This fiction about a Norwegian family trying to survive a destructive 300-foot tsunami caused by the collapse of a bulky mountain fragment into a fjord, provides us with one or two unsettling moments but never breathes the indispensable fresh air to avoid being considered a standard. 
Standing slightly above the most Hollywood productions of the same genre, “The Wave” deserves merit whenever renders claustrophobic atmospheres, but it’s not so strong when it comes to the drama itself, which proved slick and too familiar.

Roar Uthaug (“Cold Prey”, “Escape”), directing from a script by John Kare Raake and Harald Rosenlow-Eeg ("Hawaii, Oslo"), explores a real possibility - there’s currently 30 unstable mountains in Norway - and gives wings to his imagination. However, by observing the modesty of the visuals and how a few clichéd details sabotage the story, I can say he consciously misses the opportunity of having his name dissociated of the commercial circuit. That fact is perhaps insignificant to the filmmaker since the film is an impressive n.º 1 national top box office since August 2015.

The film opens with footage about the Lodal catastrophes of 1905 and 1936 that together victimized more than 100 people. Immediately, the attention is shifted to Kristian (Kristoffer Joner), a competent geologist, working in the quiet tourist village of Geiranger, who is about to move with his family to Stavenger, the third largest urban zone and metropolitan area in Norway. 
In his last working day at the monitoring center, where they probe the actual movement of the mountains, he’s praised by his chief, Arvid (Fridtjov Saheim), and cherished by his workmates. While he nostalgically packs his stuff from the desk, some values read by the sensors show that the Akerneset Mountain may not be so still as they would like to believe. Kristian shows his utmost concern about the matter, but Arvid, who refuses to press the alarm button, considers this an overreaction and concludes that the situation is under control.

Kristian leaves the place with a disquieting sensation to meet with his plucky wife, Idun (Ane Dahl Torp), and their two children, Julia (Edith Haagenrud-Sande) and Sondre (Jonas Hoff Oftebro), at the hotel where she works. At the last minute, plans change and the couple decides to spend their last night there. Scarily, the night becomes an ordeal because Julia makes his dad taking her to their old house to say goodbye, exactly when, some time later, it’s confirmed that a massive landslide fell in the fjord, giving the inhabitants only 10 minutes to go up 80 meters above the sea level and avoid the damaging impact of a gigantic wave. To worsen the situation, Sondre resolves to vanish from his hotel room, dragging his mother into a desperate search that makes them to miss the bus to salvation.
Playing with the separation of the family, the film feels like a copy-paste of stereotypes, relying not only on some noble actions of aid and generosity, but also on afflictive instants of panic caused by being trapped in confined places, in the eminence of drowning.

“The Wave”, bolstered with consistent performances, an intimidating musical score, and a heart-rending scheme may allure viewers agog with the power of a natural calamity over a tiny village. Nevertheless, the acceptable moments of tension never surpass the real lack of surprise and originality.

The Program (2015)

Directed by Stephen Frears
Country: UK / France

“The Program” is a biographical film about the cyclist Lance Armstrong that fails to become something more than just a brittle sport report.

Before starting to watch the film, I was informed that the reputable Stephen Frears had directed this film. So, I was quite sure that Lance Armstrong’s story would be at least watchable and minimally stimulating, taking into account the director's previous acclaimed features, namely “Dangerous Liaisons”, “High Fidelity”, “The Queen”, and “Philomena”. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The spot-on dramatic turns, narrative elegance, and attention to detail, are all factors that Mr. Frears didn’t bother to bring to “The Program”. 
A different context? No doubt! But it’s still hard to find something worthy here.
Not even the sensational cast, which includes names such as Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Edward Hogg, Lee Pace, and the veteran Dustin Hoffman, gives us a true reason to see the film.
The issues have its origins in the screenplay by the Scottish John Hoge, who deserves all my respect for the meritorious work in Danny Boyle’s past films, especially the first ones, “Shallow Grave” and “Trainspotting”. Mr. Hoge sought inspiration on the awarded book “Seven Deadly Sins” by the Irish journalist of the Sunday Times, David Walsh. All the same, unable to outwit the narrative narrowness, he unsuccessfully tries to consolidate and balance the different phases of Armstrong’s career. 

The chronicle starts in France in 1993, when Lance (Foster) shows a colossal ambition to become a great cyclist. ‘It’s not about having good legs or lungs. It’s about having heart.’- we hear him saying in voice-over. When Dr. Michele Ferrari (Canet), elucidates he will never be good for the mountains because of his body ratio, Lance seems not to pay much attention. Instead, his mind is totally occupied by a stage three testicular cancer already with metastases in the head. Lance wins the battle against the illness after a delicate surgery, just to become an idol to many. This is when he decides to create a research center and charity organization to help people fighting the same condition. 

Simultaneously, and envisioning a return to the competition, he starts working out. A new team, a new sponsor, and a new agent are part of the idea. Still, he continues dangerously associated with Dr. Ferrari, who introduces him to EPO, a drug that turns him invincible. This drug is harmless if administrated with the right dosage, and undetectable if quickly eliminated through a blood transfusion. Expanding this practice among his teammates, who work solely for his own benefit, the vain Lance becomes the leader of a sophisticated doping program that for several years will undermine cycling.
He wins seven Tour titles, repeatedly using cancer benefaction as a subterfuge for his blameworthy doping usage. 
These irregularities wouldn’t have come to the surface without the persistence (along 13 years) of the vigilant David Walsh (O’Dowd), who confessed having lost his faith in the sport. Incredulous and determined in finding the truth, he questions how could a road racing cyclist become the best climber, right after beating cancer, when previously his best result had been a modest 39th position.

With negligible variations of pace, “The Program” showcases unaesthetic directorial procedures, aggravated by a misadjusted pop-rock soundtrack and a mediocre cinematography. Just like Lance Armstrong, Mr. Frears forges the road to glory in an inglorious misstep.

The Lady in the Van (2015)

Directed by Nicholas Hytner
Country: UK

The British comedy-drama, “The Lady in the Van”, a mostly true story set in the 1970’s, is the third collaboration between the director Nicholas Hytner and the playwright/screenwriter, Alan Bennett. The first time - Hytner’s directorial debut - happened in 1994 with the triumphant “The Madness of King George”, and the second in 2006 with the scenic “The History Boys”. Both of them consisted of Bennett’s adaptations of his own plays. “The Lady in the Van”, in turn, is based on his memoir that already had been taken to the stage twice, in 1999 (West End play) and in 2009 (BBC Radio 4).

As in the theatrical versions, the cinematic variant stars the laudable Maggie Smith as an exceptional elderly woman who lives in her overloaded old van, which she moves along the same street of Camden Town, London. Her name is Mary Shepherd and she’s known, among other things, for her discourtesy toward the neighbors, stubbornness, self-victimization when convenient, and an acute sensitivity to noise (she runs away from music and children). She adopts a recalcitrant posture that triggers irritation on some of the dwellers and a sort of an inquisitive admiration on others.

It happened that her ‘neighbor’, Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings), doubly portrayed here by his two struggling selves, was kind enough to help her pushing the old van to the opposite corner, and courteous to show some interest in how she was managing to live. What he learned about her, and is transposed to his narration and to the beautifully shot images, wasn’t so inviting since the smelly Maggie is offensively sharp-tongued and often leaves bags of shit around her van. Yet, the truth is that he allowed her to park the car in his driveway for 15 years and even let her use his lavatory. A relationship of trust is rapidly built as we get to know more about the antisocial lady ‘beggar’ who, after all, had studied in France, carries a trauma since her youth days, has a brother living near, and is occasionally haunted by a blackmailer – an indifferent episode that fails to add something worthy to the statement.

Despite the power of the characters, not every situation thrives in “The Lady in the Van”. Besides failing to draw enthusiastic laughs, the film promised a lot but didn’t deliver that much. A certain ineptitude in its narrative process was sensed, probably the main reason why I couldn’t feel any special fondness for it. Without expressing significantly strong variations on the emotional side, and resorting to the use of a flashy final scene (Miss Shepherd flamboyantly ascending into heaven) whose single purpose is to bring down the curtain with a feel-good formula in order to please, I keep upholding the opinion that Maggie Smith’s wholehearted performance is the film’s most valuable feature.

The Brand New Testament (2015)

Directed by Jaco Van Dormael
Country: Belgium / France / Luxembourg

The terrific Belgian director, Jaco Von Dormael, always has something inventive and captivating to present. Fantastic movies such as “Toto the Hero”, “The Eighth Day”, and “Mr. Nobody” immediately pop up into our minds for favorable reasons whenever we hear his name. 
His latest, “The Brand New Testament” is a sweet divertissement that plays with religion and introduces very funny characters while combining the real and surreal, as he loves to do, in the most extraordinary ways.

The story follows a 10-year-old girl, Ea (Pili Groyne), who is neither more nor less than the daughter of the mighty God (Benoit Poelvoorde) and direct sister of Jesus Christ. In this quirky tale, co-written by Mr. Dormael and Thomas Gunzig, God is not as benevolent and understanding as we might think since he spends most of his time picking on his good-natured wife (Yolande Moreau) and clever daughter, and writing laws for the humans on Earth. These laws are frequently made of despicable rules, called universal miseries, which take immediate effect on Earth right after enter his computer system, just for his own amusement.
With the absence of Jesus from a disappointing ‘paradise’, which is connected to Brussels through a long metallic sleeve that culminates in a washing machine of a laundry facility, the only one capable to defy God is Ea, a collector of human tears and the perspicacious narrator, who explains she wants to turn the world into a better place and then teach her father a lesson. 
Resolutely, and advised by her brother, she steps into God’s office and sends a message to everybody on Earth with the exact time they still have to live – a literal ‘death leak’. Moreover, she sets off to Earth in order to fetch six new apostles and add them to the twelve that Jesus had gathered before. For the task, she counts on Victor, a dyslexic homeless who becomes her loyal ally.

The new apostles are diversified: a beautiful and yet sad girl who lost her arm when she was very young; a former adventurer who wasted most of his life working in something he didn’t like; a sexual maniac who finally finds true love; an inveterate assassin who falls in love for the first time; an unhappy married woman who rejoices in the company of a gorilla; and a little boy whose final wish is to become a girl. Everyone has their days counted and it’s urgent to find happiness for the rest of their lives. Meanwhile, the angered God also decides to come down to live an earthly life while he searches for his disobedient daughter but falls in the traps and tricks he had set up. He starts living in Brussels, as a common man.
Ea’s plan includes a transition of powers from God to her beloved mother, a true saint whose true passions are embroidering and watch baseball games.

Not so deep, challenging, or puzzling as “Mr. Nobody”, “The Brand New Testament” evinces some gaps in the storytelling. Still, it advances at an energetic pace and provides solid amusement with its dreamy elements, musical nuances, conspicuous metaphors, tense developments, and sympathetic humor. 
I came to the conclusion that this is Dormael’s less accomplished film so far, but not a disappointment at all. Its feel-good posture has the ability to bring you a good time.