NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN (TORE TANZT) New Auteurs

Tore is a fervent new member of the fundamentalist Christian youth group, Jesus Freaks.  Returning from his baptism, he and his fellow believers encounter a broken-down van belonging to a man named Benno. Tore seems to restarts the van by prayer, which he interprets as a message from God. Soon, he moves in with Benno, his wife, young son and adolescent daughter and sleeps in a tent in the backyard, helping the family with their garden. After Benno punches him in the nose during a party for his own amusement, the violence between them escalates into a downward spiral of physical and psychological abuse. A powerful debut from writer director Katrin Gebbe, the film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Strengthened by performances from newcomers Julie Feldmeier and Swantje Kohlhof, NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN explores a harrowing intersection of religion and heresy that is based on true events. – Teeney Hood