THE LIFE OF JESUS

Freddy is a bored twenty-year-old lives with his mother in northern France. He is in love with Marie, a cashier at the local supermarket, and the two make love every chance they get. When he is not with Marie, Freddy hangs out with his buddies, and together they roam the countryside on souped-up motor scooters. One day Kader, the son of Arab immigrants, becomes interested in Marie; Freddy and his friends are angry and outraged. For beneath Freddy's bored exterior there exists a well of frustration, a buried and powerful hatred, waiting to explode. THE LIFE OF JESUS is startling and masterful. Bruno Dumont captures the rugged beauty of the Flanders countryside beautifully shot in Cinemascope. At the same time, he paints a damning portrait of a segment of society where there is little education, chronic unemployment and a despair of the future: a breeding ground for racism, hatred and violence. But despite their failings, he still manages to create sympathetic characters. – Toronto Film Festival. (In French with English subtitles)