Jesus, You Know

This 2003 picture from Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl falls somewhere between documentary and fiction, and the inability to distinguish which is which makes it not just artistically but also intellectually troublesome. Structurally, Jesus, You Know is extremely simple: six Austrian Catholics come to church to speak with God, and the camera simply focuses on them as they ask for help with the problems in their lives. One woman, who also cleans the sacristy, begs aid for her husband, a Moslem who's suffered a stroke. Another is distraught that her husband is having an affair, and contemplates both murder and suicide. An older man bemoans the abusive treatment he suffered at the hands of his parents, a teenager confesses his erotic fantasies, and a young couple talk about the tension between them. The static but beautifully composed shots of these people addressing God (and the camera) are interrupted only by brief glimpses of their daily routines and staged scenes of groups praying or singing hymns. Unfortunately, while the “confessions” are revealing, one has to wonder how much of what's said is true and how much contrived—a concern heightened by the fact that screenplay credit is given to Seidl and Veronika Franz. As drama, Jesus, You Know is elegant and sporadically powerful, but its claim to be a documentary should be taken with a grain of salt. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)