The Life of Jesus

1997 1h 36m FR

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

63%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 96🍅63%Rotten Tomatoes●74Metacritic★7IMDB · 3,568

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Twenty-something Freddy is becalmed in a podunk French village where the only sign of life is the local amateur brass band and youth aimlessly roaming around the countryside on scooters. He has an intense sexual connection with his girlfriend but has no joy or passion to give her. When she falls for a handsome Arab youth a tragedy unfolds.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

David Douche
Freddy
Marjorie Cottreel
Marie
Kader Chaatouf
Kader
Sébastien Delbaere
Gégé
Samuel Boidin
Michou
Steve Smagghe
Robert
Sébastien Bailleul
Quinquin
Geneviève Cottreel
La mère de Freddy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bruno Dumont
Writers: Bruno Dumont
Languages: French, Arabic
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Arabic.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bruno Dumont, shot by Philippe Van Leeuw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Cuvillier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Yves Deschamps shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

David Douche and Marjorie Cottreel and Kader Chaatouf carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0120448 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bruno Dumont directs. Philippe Van Leeuw behind the camera. Richard Cuvillier scores. Yves Deschamps cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French, Arabic.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

129 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Arabic.
3Directed by Bruno Dumont, shot by Philippe Van Leeuw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Cuvillier. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Yves Deschamps shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6David Douche and Marjorie Cottreel and Kader Chaatouf carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0120448 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.