Jesús

Chilean filmmaker Fernando Guzzoni's Jesús begins with what feels like endless and maddeningly ugly footage of a talent contest for teenage kids who are dancing in groups to recorded music. A cluster of boys stomping and gyrating in choreographed unity hope to win the top prize, but when they don't they get messed up on weed, alcohol, and whatever it is that the title character, Jesús (Nicolás Durán), is inhaling. The story meanders along, following Jesús as his days alternate between time spent with the boys and deference at home to his remote, widower father (Alejandro Goic). Guzzoni, a former documentary filmmaker, spends most of the film traipsing after Jesús with a handheld camera in the name of faux realism that includes sexually-explicit scenes. When Jesús participates in the senseless murder of an innocent young man, the film finally kicks into higher gear, leading to a surprise ending that borders on haunting—but getting there is laborious. An optional purchase for more adventurous collections. (T. Keogh)