Tag: Brussels

Little Amélie
or
The Character of Rain
(Amélie
et
la Métaphysique des Tubes)

Post author By Jeremy Clarke
Post date 5 February 2026
No Comments on Little Amélie
or
The Character of Rain
(Amélie
et
la Métaphysique des Tubes)
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Directors – Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han – 2025 – France – Cert. PG – 77m

*****

A Belgian diplomat’s baby daughter growing up in Japan comes to realise, by her third birthday, that she is not God – out in UK cinemas on Friday, February 13th; previews Saturday, 7th and Sunday, 8th February

In the beginning was God. At least, that’s how the new-born Amélie (French language version voice: Loïse Charpentier) sees herself. She is, essentially, a tube which swallows, digests and ejects (as per the film’s French language title). She has a perfect command of verbal language, so sees no need to say anything. That said, she makes great use of voice-over throughout the piece. She remains motionless, practising “the gift of serenity”. “Your child is a vegetable”, proclaims a doctor to the child’s parents. She remains in this state until her second birthday, when life is interrupted by an earthquake – nothing significant in the wider scheme of things, but a momentous event in the interior life of a small child. She attempts to speak, but to her horror the words in her head don’t emerge, only baby noises.

Amelie is the third child of Patrick (French voice: Marc Arnaud) and Danièle (French voice: Laetitia Coryn), and has two older siblings, Juliette (French voice: Haylee Issembourg) and André (French voice: Isaac Schoumsky).… Read the rest

Tags animosity, baby, baby noises, beach, Belgian, Belgian chocolate, bereavement, between two cultures, birthday, bombing raid, books, Brussels, carp, catch up, Cathy Cerda, childhood, chocolate, comics, commemorating the dead, danger, daughter, departed spirit, diplomat, drowning, early years, earthquake, East and West, family trip, fellow god, Festival for the Month of Boys, first word, France, God, grandma, grandmothers and grandchildren, growing up, grown up situations, grumpy, Haylee Issembourg, housekeeper, housekeeper and employer, Isaac Schoumsky, Japan, Japan and Belgium, Japanese character, Laetitia Coryn, landlady, lantern festival, Liane-Cho Han, Little Amelie, Loïse Charpentier, Maïlys Vallade, Marc Arnaud, missing, monster, mothers and sons, names, naming, neighbour, ornamental gardens, parents and children, peering out, picture books, pond, post-war, rain, rescue, running, serenity, siblings, small child, survive, taste, The Character of Rain, three years old, toddler, transcendent, tube, two-and-a-half years old, vacuum cleaner, Victoria Grosbois, walking, war, wonder, World War 2, World War II, World War Two, write your name, WW2, Yokusai, Yumi Fujimori

Features Live Action Movies

The Brand New
Testament
(Le Tout Nouveau
Testament)

Post author By Jeremy Clarke
Post date 21 August 2020
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Testament
(Le Tout Nouveau
Testament)
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Director – Jaco Van Dormael – 2015 – Belgium – Cert. 15 – 113m

*****

Review originally published in Reform, read the full review here.

Showing on BFI Player from Thursday, July 20th, 2023

At the end of Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981), the Supreme Being (Ralph Richardson) bumbles around in a lounge lizard suit mumbling, “I think it has to do with free will, or something.” A similar sense of whimsy pervades the latest film from Flemish director Jaco Van Dormael (Toto The Hero/1991, The Eighth Day/1996) who reworks God The Father as a slobbish despot. Many people in contemporary Western culture struggle with the idea of a loving, patriarchal God so if you’re going to have a crack at exploring Christian theology for the unchurched, this is not a bad place to start… [Read the rest]

Review originally published in Reform, September 2016, to coincide with the film’s UK DVD release.

See also alternative review originally published in (the final issue of) Third Way, May 2016, to coincide with the film’s UK theatrical release.

Showing on BFI Player from Thursday, July 20th, 2023.

Trailer:

Tags Belgium, Brexit, Brussels, Christianity, computer, disciple, Garden Of Eden, God, gorilla, launderette, patriarchy, testament, text message, theology, tunnel, washing machine

Features Live Action Movies

The Brand New
Testament
(Le Tout Nouveau
Testament)

Post author By Jeremy Clarke
Post date 15 April 2016
No Comments on The Brand New
Testament
(Le Tout Nouveau
Testament)
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Director – Jaco Van Dormael – 2015 – Belgium – Cert. 15 – 113m

*****

Original UK release date 25/03/2016, cert.15, 113 mins

Review originally published in Third Way, read the full review here.

Showing on BFI Player from Thursday, July 20th, 2023

The idea of God being an utter bastard sounds theologically none too edifying, yet in the hands of Flemish director Jaco Van Dormael (Toto The Hero/1991, The Eighth Day/1996) that’s not the case. It’s whimsical in the same way as Ralph Richardson playing the Supreme Being bumbling around at the end of Time Bandits (Terry Gilliam, 1981) in a lounge lizard suit mumbling, “I think it has to do with free will, or something.”

Empty, present day Brussels replaces the Garden of Eden where Adam wanders around nude save for a black rectangular special effect covering his privates to meet Eve (her name tag) behind a deserted cafeteria counter. Much begatting extends their family. Grumpy old man God (Benoît Poelvoorde) writes rules for creation on his study computer, e.g. another queue always moves faster than the one you’re in. His son, as we know, went off to garner twelve disciples and four testaments.… Read the rest

Tags Belgium, Brussels, Christianity, computer, disciple, Garden Of Eden, God, gorilla, launderette, patriarchy, testament, text message, theology, tunnel, washing machine