In what could be Seidl’s least provocative film, he tackles the notion of pure religious faith as a single, static camera is objectively set up in various churches to capture several devout Catholics in private conversations with Jesus.
Review #2,781
Dir. Ulrich Seidl
2003 | Austria | Documentary | 88 min | 1.85:1 | German
Not rated – likely to be PG13 for some mature themes
Cast: –
Plot: Six fragmentary portraits of believers who ask questions, look for answers, and spill their hearts out to Jesus Christ.
Awards: Official Selection (Locarno)
International Sales: Coproduction Office
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – Religious Faith; Confessions
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Niche Arthouse
Viewed: MUBI
Spoilers: No
A conceptual antecedent to Paradise: Faith (2012), the controversial second film of Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Paradise’ trilogy, Jesus, You Know is certainly much less provocative, but not any less piercing a take on what religious faith can do to a devout person.
The setup is simple and almost ordinary, though filming in churches isn’t exactly a day-to-day ritual. Still, one can appreciate the objectivity that Seidl is aiming for—a single, static camera that films without any cuts several Catholics who visit these holy sites every day as they engage in private conversations with Jesus.
All that is partly an illusion under the guise of realism and authenticity that the documentary medium naturally provides as some of these conversations were scripted, while others were spontaneously expressed.
Seidl doesn’t care, and neither should we because you and I won’t be able to tell the differences apart anyway such is his matter-of-fact filmmaking style.
“Nobody knows about my sorrows like you.”
What we can probably glean from these ‘monologues’ (well, because God doesn’t answer back) is how devoted and trusting a person can be in his or her relationship with Him. Problems of work, family, and romance are spilt, and so are fears and chronic anxieties about living and dying.
Nothing really gets solved but that pure faith remains unshakeable. This is one of life’s mysteries that still confounds me—the ability of humans to completely surrender themselves to ‘God’s plans’, even when a bit of self-agency could turn the tide.
In the most striking shot of Jesus, You Know, a man and a woman play a game of ping-pong as a huge, conspicuous cross is hung on the wall right in the middle.
As the ball bounces back and forth, it becomes a visual manifestation of the very conundrum that religion has continually sparked: when two related persons separately pray for the exact opposite of each other, who then does God answer to? Or does He sensibly observe without intervention till the end of time?
Grade: B+
Promo Clip:
Eternality Tan 
Interesting review. I’ve never heard of this film, but the concept does sound intriguing to me. I’ve often been drawn towards movies about religion because I can relate to them on a personal level. Religion has played a pivotal role in shaping my identity. Although a vastly different film from the one you reviewed here, “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret” is a recent movie about the powers of religion that resonated with me. Here’s why I adored it:
https://huilahimovie.reviews/2023/05/20/are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-2023-movie-review/
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As you know, endless and multifarious teachings are devoted to these questions, and this is perhaps not the forum in which to discuss these matters, but if you feel like indulging me it might be interesting to play with the idea that when “God” is called “Nature” a lot of these apparent paradoxes and mysteries fall away.Nature is absolutely indifferent to the births and deaths and doings of all creatures and things, hence tsunamis and Nagasakis.But when we accept that fact, and we know that we ARE simply Nature at work, AS us human beings, or trees or clouds or wars, then we give up the painful notion of a separate little self which has to battle its way through the vagaries of life and we surrender to our true nature, which is Nature.Then all battles end.This is a hard journey for humans to make, and that’s why we prefer to pray for better circumstances instead of celebrating our great good fortune to be part of this amazing process called life.End of sermon. Not to be taken too seriously…
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I do feel that my comment is not appropriate here, so no hurt feelings if you should delete it, thanks.
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No not at all… I don’t count myself as religious and in fact like all things, religion can be a good or bad thing, imbued with affordances and fallacies. I believe in deep ecology and respect for all living things in nature and in spirit, with or without spiritual faith.
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