Synopsis
The Brand New Testament (Le Tout Nouveau Testament, 2015) is a Belgian fantasy comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Director Jaco Van Dormael sets up his premise with a straight face: God is real, he lives in a Brussels apartment, and he is genuinely awful to be around — petty, cruel, wearing a bathrobe.
His daughter Ea has had enough. She hacks into his computer and texts every person on Earth their exact date of death, then escapes into the city to recruit six new apostles and write her own gospel. Pili Groyne plays Ea with real nerve. Benoît Poelvoorde is the domestic-tyrant God, and Catherine Deneuve turns up as one of the apostles in a quietly strange role that suits her perfectly.
Belgium submitted the film as its Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film in 2016. It plays as blasphemy wrapped in warmth — an odd, funny, genuinely original piece of work. Stream The Brand New Testament (2015) online on iFILM.
Starring
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