Heaven

Heaven is a place with crumbling ceilings, an aging Jesus, and angels and saints entertained by human sexuality. On earth, Christmas, 1999, Jacques, who's dying of cancer, meets Sophie, pregnant and abandoned. Her babies and his death are due in the spring. Jacques runs a cabaret facing bankruptcy because his landlord insists on a 15-minute speech about Jesus every evening by the boring Bernard, and all the customers leave. Jacques prays for Bernard's removal: Heaven arranges a car crash. Jacques keeps a tape recorder handy, narrating his final days, focused on composing memorable last words. In Heaven, the dead Bernard keeps watch over Jacques and Sophie, with saving effect.

Directed by Jean-Sébastien Lord, Heaven leans on a strong ensemble — Jocelyn Blanchard, Julien Poulin, Julie La Rochelle — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 2000.