God Is Great and I'm Not

REVIEW
The estimable Tatou radiates a luminous effervescence as Michèle, a 20-year-old suicidal Parisian fashion model who spends her time between shoots enmeshed in failed relationships and exploring her religious options. Neither Catholic prayer nor Buddhist meditations assist her with her substance-abuse mom or her self-involved step-dad; maybe she's looking for her father by looking for The Father. When she meets Jewish François, she enters into a study of Judaism with a joyful intensity François can only observe. What at first seem Michèle's trendy flights of pop pseudo-self-discovery evolves into an arresting exploration of religious belief and personal commitment. Tatou creates in Michèle a character at once approachable yet removed, an exotic girl-next-door; Baer as François matches her charm in his complex and recognizable portrayal. Director and co-scripter Bailly maintains a strong narrative thread while juxtaposing kinetic jump cuts with reflective interludes, sustaining a highly energized pace. God Is Great, and I’m Not offers an exuberant examination of human vulnerability and religious belief with a blissful openness rarely found in these times of doctrinal, theological conservatism. (French with English subtitles)