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: