The September 19, 2017 DVD release of "Jesus" further solidifies the leadership of Breaking Glass Pictures regarding art over commence festival and mainstream theatrical releases and DVDs of edgy with a message indie fare. The 2016 Chilean film by "Dog Flesh" director Fernando Guzzoni tells the ripped-from-the-headlines tale of the titular 18 year-old slacker whose daily routine of sex. drugs, rock-and-roll (with heavy doses of violence) abruptly changes on his participation in a brutal gang attack. This release follows an incredible festival run (including the Toronto International Film Festival) and a very recent general theatrical release.
This tale of feral boys struggling with the consequences of mindless violence being fun until someone loses a great deal of blood should seem familiar to folks who have seen the (Unreal TV reviewed) Breaking film "Sins of Our Youth." This one starring Lucas Till of the "X-Men" franchise and the "MacGyver" reboot has Las Vegas teens learn a tough lesson regarding reckless use of firearms. This similarity of films from different nations and settings illustrates the universal problems of letting teen boys run wild.
The fateful night in question in "Jesus" occurs in the wake of this excitable boy (who repeatedly engages in artistic X-rated sex along the Kinsey Scale) and his band greatly altering their consciousness after losing a competition. A "rabbit" running across this band of wolves in a dark cemetery leads to that innocent being horribly beaten and abused in ways that reflect that his most vicious assailants are having trouble accepting their true natures.
Greater symbolism exists regarding Jesus participating in this attack in the wake of telling (mostly absent) dad Hector a story designed to garner sympathy to get money for new eyeglasses and a new cellphone.
Jesus learning the morning after the wilding that the incident essentially is front page news leads to his confiding to his special friend (and more?) with benefits that Jesus is considering calling the police but properly placing most of the blame on the ringleader of the group.
The aftermath of this includes said leader coming after Jesus to "persuade" him to not snitch and Jesus looking to Hector for help.
The depth of the real-life material provides Guzzoni plenty of fodder. Throwing in the name of the main character who is facing dying for his sins and having a father who is struggling with the extent to which he is willing to protect his son brings the story into Biblical territory; this is not to mention the serious betrayal by a close and trusted friend even though the Bible does not indicate that Jesus and Judas engage in the same "sinful" behavior as our lead and his buddy.
The conclusion regarding all this is slightly surprising and a little ambiguous. We know what happens and why but not the motive. We further do not learn the ultimate outcome.
As both "Jesus" and "Sins" indicate, teen boys are wild beasts whom decades of films have shown us are likely to run wild if not provided proper supervision/love and related restraint. Accepting that there are no "bad boys" is tough, believing that these wild ones can at least learn to not indulge their every anti-social desire is easier. This also reduces the collateral damage to innocents, who suffer harm ranging from death to damaged or stolen personal property.
The even larger picture is that these themes reflect the Breaking philosophy of tackling provocative topics in a responsible well-presented manner.
The primary special feature is a 30-minute Q&A with Guzzoni at a Lincoln Center screening of "Jesus." A total of five-minutes of interviews in another feature provides a condensed version of his statements regarding the film and the thoughts of Jesus portrayor Nicolas Duran.
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