10 · 06 · 09

Bruno Dumont Doesn’t Believe in God

Clara Sánchez

The film tells the story of a young woman who is expelled from a convent before she takes her vows because of her excessive love for God. She is sent out to the world to search for another way to channel her faith. When she leaves the convent, the young woman becomes Celine again and eventually meets two Muslims, Yassine and Nassir.

At the end of the screening, Dumont answered questions about the way he treats religion in the film. “I don’t believe in God, I believe in love,” he said.
The director said he used music in the film in a mystical way. “It [music] helps you reach a state of ecstasy, like the Rolling Stones do or any other group. This is not an intellectual process. For example, Celine listens to music and dances. It is not her intellect but her body that moves with the music. When we listen to music in the church it elevates our spirit.”

Dumont said he is not an ideologue. “I don’t make films to transmit ideas,” he said. “I feel my character and if in this case Celine believes in God, the moral question comes later. I can film a loser with no problem. I need to meet him in film. This is what they call catharsis. The director who achieves this is successful.”

Translated by Cindy Hawes