The Brand New Testament [DVD]

Brilliant, surreal, and very funny fantastical comedy. Catherine Deneuve, Yolande Moreau, Benoît Poelvoorde, François Damiens, and all supporting cast are brilliant, but especially so is the actress Pili Groyne who plays Ea who helps narrate the story. Next to these big stars of French language cinema she's just as much a star of the show. The look of the film is great with cinematography from Christophe Beaucarne, and there is great music including some beautiful classical pieces such as Handel's “Lascia ch'io pianga from "Rinaldo" Act 2” (I'm not familiar with the title of Handel's piece of music, but I recognised the tune straight away and it is beautiful) and more (slightly) up-to-date songs like Charles Trenet's “La Mer” (which for me has got to be one of the best French songs), and lots besides. The most praise must go to Belgian director (and writer) of “The Brand New Testament”, Jaco Van Dormael, as he has created a wonderful film as well as referencing other film within “The Brand New Testament”. It is a film that could be enjoyed on so many different levels by different viewers. If you are at all attracted to the idea of God existing within a somewhat dysfunctional family, and doing so sat behind a computer in Brussels, then I'd definitely say to give the film a go. On the DVD (ASIN: B01FIB7M5Q) you get: “The Brand New Testament” (1 hour 50 minutes) Scene Selection Audio Set Up: 2.0 Stereo, 5.1 Dolby Digital The film has embedded English Subtitles

Fantastic, very original. It is necessary to have an open mind though and to take it as a joke, with a pinch of salt as the English say it. I love films which are NOTpolitically correct; they are rare and courageous. Un film magnifique et avec un humour qui pourrait être discutable mais que j'ai adoré. Benoit Poelvoorde n'est jamais mauvais et souvent hors du commun. Alors qu'aujourd'hui il devient difficile de ne pas être politiquement correcte, ce film est politiquement et religieusement incorrect et c'est formidable qu'on puisse le voir.

I love this film. Beautiful, engaging, unpredictable, hopeful and funny. It isn’t a Bill Nighey type ‘feel-good’ movie - the kind which makes me feel slightly weary and nauseous. But I it left me feeling bright, optimistic and entertained.

Very zany and thought provoking. Will get you talking for sure.

wow! surreal, and funny. Very French/Belgian, and a real delight. Never mind a plot summary - you can find plenty - just go get this and watch it! *Then* read the plot summary and roll about laughing as it reminds you of all the gems in the film!

Full of "User operation prohibitions": should you endure over 20 minutes of unskippable content in a film you bought?

Went to see this at the cinema when it come out. If you like Amelie and quirky films generally this is for you. What a difference it makes when God is a woman and their is a daughter of God!

If you have an open mind and don't have tissue thin skin, you'll agree that it's one of the best films you've seen in a long time!

Jaco Van Dormael’s The Brand New Testament (2015) arrives like a breath of the sweetest fresh air. From the land of Rene Magritte comes this peculiar, ambitious, gem of surrealist cinema. God exists. He lives in Belgium. And he’s a monstrous prick played with vim by Benoît Poelvoorde, the star of Man Bites Dog (1992). The flavour of this film is not dissimilar. God sits at his computer all day thinking up tortures for humanity… Bread always falls jam side down. As soon as you get into the bath, the phone will ring. Hassles never happen one at a time… He is a sadistic drunken lout who is cruel to his wife and daughter and hateful of everything. His young daughter finally snaps and breaks into God’s computer, and texts everyone on Earth their death dates. This changes humanity, largely for the better, but… The rest is like an epic poem. On Earth the daughter seeks out six apostles to write a brand new testament. Not every element is perfect, but Catherine Deneuve makes out with a gorilla. God gets beaten up by skinheads. And God’s daughter’s boyfriend becomes a girl. Sensational! The best film no one has ever heard about. What a joy.

Das beste Film ever! Witzig, klug, rührend, mit sehr wichtige Weisheiten. Ein Film, dass alle Menschen sehen sollten und nachdenken.

A very different interpretation on the "God" complex. An excellent film with superb acting. Imagine how we would react if we knew the exact date when we are set to expire ... WOW!!! Deneuve is, as always, fabulous.

I saw the previews and my attention was caught by it. I know, it is a mistake to get hooked on the previews. On the whole, it is not a very bad movie. It has it's moments - black humor, stories with questions that we need to ask ourselves. There was a potential for this movie to be something better. In the end, this movie left me hanging right in the middle - parts I disliked ( and some I really hated it) and parts that made me think or I found them interesting.

It’s a great movie I watched first on Prime. Ordered DVD, it had defects-froze and skipped in several places. Returned it, 2nd replacement DVD did same thing. Company making DVDs fault? Returning 2nd DVD. 5 stars for the movie, -5 for defective DVDs!!