Directed by:
Bruno DumontScreenplay:
Bruno DumontCinematography:
Philippe Van LeeuwComposer:
Richard CuvillierCast:
David Douche, Marjorie Cottreel, Kader Chaatouf, Sébastien Delbaere, Geneviève Cottreel, Steve Smagghe, Samuel Boidin, Sébastien Bailleul, Fu'ad Aït AattouPlots(1)
With his stunning debut feature, the risk-taking auteur Bruno Dumont immediately established his reputation as both a spiritual heir to Robert Bresson and an uncompromising iconoclast on the cutting edge of French cinema. Blending unflinching realism with moments of startling, light-filled beauty, La vie de Jésusfinds unexpected philosophical richness in the quotidian, small-town existence of Freddy (nonprofessional David Douche in a revelatory, one-off performance), an aimless young man with epilepsy who, in his childlike simplicity, embodies both great tenderness and terrifying brutality. Leaving the film’s cryptic title tantalizingly open to interpretation, Dumont dares viewers to see the divine in a seemingly dead-end world. (Criterion)
(more)Cast
David Douche
France
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Marjorie Cottreel
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Kader Chaatouf
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Sébastien Delbaere
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Oh Mercy! (2019)
Geneviève Cottreel
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Steve Smagghe
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Samuel Boidin
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Flanders (2006)
Sébastien Bailleul
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
Fu'ad Aït Aattou
France
Best movies:
The Life of Jesus (1997)
What the Day Owes the Night (2012)
The Last Mistress (2007)