Jesus of Montreal

REVIEW
From the director of the wickedly sarcastic Decline of the American Empire comes this serious, intelligent and satiric update of the persecution and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Set in present-day Montreal, a priest hires a young actor to revamp and modernize his parish's annual Passion Play. Daniel (Bluteau), a serenely intense young man, takes his task quite seriously. With him in the lead as Christ, he and a ragtag collection of his friends present a radical and, in the Church's eyes, scandalous production which soon becomes a hit with the public. Although the story parallels the Bible's account quite closely, the film never sinks to mere rehashing, and offers interesting and, at times, humorous thoughts on spiritualism in the modern world, the function of art, the perils of fame and the struggle to retain one's personal integrity. (French with English subtitles)