Review of The Book of Life (1998) by Archibald T — 23 Jan 2013

Back in the Y2K days of the late 90s, films that dealt with the end of days had become a new staple as the Millennium approached. Paranoia striking deep within those who thought that come year 2000 the world as we knew it would be shut down completely all because of a few digits that someone didn't put into a computer. Even hearing it now still seems hard to believe. But the world will eventually end. So, until then life must go on. Crackpot theories and all.

Hal Hartley, a favorite of mine and a cult figure of the indie film world, met up with a French crew that were producing one hour short films based on the new Millennium. He churned out this little diddy about the second coming of Jesus. Jesus has returned on Dec. 31st to judge the living and the dead, but he's having some doubts about it. The devil, played perfectly by Thomas Jay Ryan, taunts Jesus through most of the film and is a bit depressed by the fact that God sent his only son to destroy mankind. You see the devil thinks the world is really, well, fun. He likes the status quo of being on Earth and messing with people. As he puts it, God may have the upper hand, but when it comes to the minutes and hours of the everyday and as long as people have hopes and dreams the devil will have his work to do. He just thinks it's a good system and destroying it all would be such a waste. I agree!

The Book of Life as it were is of course the book of the seven seals. When each seal is open it brings us closer to the apocalypse. Jesus is stuck with the choice of opening the fifth seal and deciding whether or not to unleash it. The scene where Jesus speaks to one of the unfortunate souls who gave their life to him is extremely eerie. "I saw the souls who had been slaughtered for the word of God," he says. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Whenever I see that scene today, I get chills.

Jesus has until midnight, of course, to make his decision. If he doesn't choose, he's banished from heaven and stuck on Earth. Like most of Hartley's work, dialogue is very excessive. His work is very literal like a book being read to you, but in an entertaining way. I love the ideas he throws around with these somewhat ordinary characters who are somehow living BIG lives in his films. This one isn't exactly his most ambitious, but it's probably his most original piece. His most ambitious work has to be 'Henry Fool' hands down.

Overall, it might seem irrelevent today, but looking back it's still a fascinating piece. Especially when Jesus and the Devil chit-chat.