La Vie De Jesus review

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No, this isn't another tale about the son of the Almighty, but a perceptive, naturalistic study of disenchanted French youth, which effectively conveys the tedium and frustration of small-town life. Epileptic, unemployed Freddy (Douche) has a lot of spare time on his hands. He cruises around on his motorbike, makes love to pretty girlfriend Marie (Cottreel) and trains his pet chaffinch. Yet when he spies her chatting with a young Arab (Chaatouf), events head towards a tragic conclusion.

It's an impressive, sensitively scripted debut from writer/director Dumont. There are some powerful performances from the inexperienced cast, especially Douche, who plays Freddy with a startling combination of tenderness and murderous rage.

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