Jaco Van Dormael, 2015, Belgium, France, Luxembourg
Belgian filmmaker Jaco van Dormael (Toto the Hero, Mr. Nobody) delivers a hilarious, irreverent, and yet never offensive religious satire, centered on a basic theological statement: “God exists and lives in Brussels,” in a small apartment, with his wife and daughter—a rebellious teenager named Ea, who undermines his authority. From his office he invents the laws of Universal Annoyance—the rules that make sure that the check-out line that you pick at the grocery store will always be the slowest, or that your phone will wait to ring until you enter the bathtub. Differently from most religious satires, this premise is not used to lecture us about bigotry, religious fundamentalism, or the dangers that similar allegorical stories pose, if taken literally. Instead, when Ea decides to escape into the world and recruit her own apostles, the film brings to life a series of bizarre, absurd, and yet genuine, loving characters, whose personal stories take the form of celebrations of the multiple, wonderful ways through which love expresses itself, regardless of religious beliefs. 114 min.