Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
The Brand New Testament
Catherine Deneuve and Benoît Poelvoorde head the cast in Jaco Van Dormael’s wildly inventive comedy, in which God’s daughter decides to rewrite the rules.
Director: Jaco van Dormael
Overview
What if God were Belgian and a cantankerous, vindictive slob (Benoît Poelvoorde) who runs the whole show from a dilapidated apartment in Brussels? And what if He had a young daughter who one day decided that enough was enough, and set out to write her own gospel, with the help of six of her own disciples? The revolt of young Ea begins with her leaking to everyone on earth the exact time of their death.
Belgian comic visionary Jaco Van Dormael delivers his most flamboyant work since Toto the Hero – a scabrously provocative, philosophically astute parable spiked with satirical invention and visual flamboyance. The disciples include François Damiens as a natural born killer and Catherine Deneuve as a woman who finds true happiness in the arms of a gorilla. Theology was never this much fun.
Related
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Comedy 2023 163 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude’s follow-up to the Golden Bear-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is a pin-sharp, caustically funny critique of workplace culture and oppression.
Rare Beasts Rare Beasts
Comedy 2021 92 mins Director: Billie Piper
Billie Piper stars in her own directorial debut, a no-holds-barred, Fleabag-esque anti-romcom about a modern woman’s struggles in work and love.
Together Together
Comedy 2000 106 mins Director: Lukas Moodysson
Taken into a commune by her brother, a family of three find themselves co-habiting with an assortment of dropouts, hippies and free thinkers, in Lukas Moodysson's warm, bittersweet comedy.
Together 99 Together 99
Comedy 2023 114 mins Director: Lukas Moodysson
Members of the beloved 70s commune reunite in the shadow of the new millennium, in Lukas Moodysson’s eagerly anticipated, warm-hearted sequel to Together.
Damsels in Distress Damsels in Distress
Comedy 2011 99 mins Director: Whit Stillman
Greta Gerwig shines as a college student challenging the male dominated culture on campus, in Whit Stillman’s sweet, eccentric and frequently hilarious comedy.
Bottle Rocket Bottle Rocket
Comedy 1995 91 mins Director: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson's rarely screened debut ditches the kitsch in favour of surprisingly subtle comedy, in this tale of a criminally inept gang led by Owen Wilson.
Frances Ha Frances Ha
Comedy 2012 86 mins Director: Noah Baumbach
Barbie creators Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach hit their stride with this critical smash about an awkward girl and her complex passions.
Baghead Baghead
Comedy 2008 81 mins Director: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass
Greta Gerwig shines as one of four filmmaking friends who find their slasher screenplay idea turning into a terrifying reality, in this in ‘mumblegore’ horror-comedy.
Bottle Rocket Bottle Rocket
Comedy 1995 91 mins Director: Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson's rarely screened debut ditches the kitsch in favour of surprisingly subtle comedy, in this tale of a criminally inept gang led by Owen Wilson.
Damsels in Distress Damsels in Distress
Comedy 2011 99 mins Director: Whit Stillman
Greta Gerwig shines as a college student challenging the male dominated culture on campus, in Whit Stillman’s sweet, eccentric and frequently hilarious comedy.
Big Banana Feet Big Banana Feet
Documentary 1976 78 mins Director: Murray Grigor and Patrick Higson
Captivating 'lost' record of Billy Connolly on the cusp of international stardom during his 1975 tour of Ireland.
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Comedy 2023 163 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude’s follow-up to the Golden Bear-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is a pin-sharp, caustically funny critique of workplace culture and oppression.
Das Boot Das Boot
War 1981 149 mins Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Devastatingly powerful, tense and claustrophobic war drama about the final mission of a German U-boat, from heroic start to tragic end.
Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World
Comedy 2023 163 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude’s follow-up to the Golden Bear-winning Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is a pin-sharp, caustically funny critique of workplace culture and oppression.
Everybody in Our Family Everybody in Our Family
Drama 2012 103 mins Director: Radu Jude
Radu Jude delivers on the promise of his first feature, The Happiest Girl in the World, with this superb black comedy.
Night Tide Night Tide
Fantasy 1961 85 mins Director: Curtis Harrington
A young Dennis Hopper is on shore leave from the Navy when he falls for a mysterious woman who performs as a mermaid, in this intoxicating cult classic from underground filmmaker Curtis Harrington.
Apostasy Apostasy
Drama 2018 95 mins Director: Dan Kokotajlo
A deeply religious family must decide whether to stick by their relation or abandon her, in this striking debut from Daniel Kokotajlo - a prizewinner at BFI London Film Festival 2017.
Akenfield Akenfield
Drama 1975 98 mins Director: Peter Hall
Peter Hall’s extraordinary, long-unseen work of sublime poetic realism traces three generations of one Suffolk family and their lives in the farming industry.