Jeannette l'enfance de Jeanne d'Arc

Bruno Dumont follows his oddball 2016 MA LOUTE with the bold and more divisive rock opera JEANNETTE, L’ENFANCE DE JEANNE D’ARC. And as with MA LOUTE and 2014’s TV-Miniseries P’TIT QUIN-QUIN, the provocations of this film – sacred subject matter paired with pounding death-metal bass drums – add to its sense of humor. A sample scene: a sheep bleating off screen while an earnest hymnal is sung into the camera. Even the frequently out-of-tune singing and chintzy synthesizer soundtrack add to a sense of levity and play, a tone Dumont’s never pulled off as comfortably as he does here. Furthermore, Dumont reaches back through two decades of a filmography consumed by Bressonian inquiries of faith – and subversive send-ups of the same. (Sam C. Mac)

In the presence of Bruno Dumont.