Now in theaters: Holy Meat

As a contrast to the Christmas season, Alison Kuhn's comedy "Holy Meat" tells a not-so-contemplative story about faith and salvation: In the Swabian village of Winteringen, where the small Catholic parish is about to close, Danish priest Father Oskar Iversen hatches a last-ditch plan: he wants to convince the archbishop, who is enthusiastic about architecture and theater, to keep the parish open with a spectacular amateur Passion play. But the project quickly spirals out of control—he hires Roberto, a washed-up off-Broadway director from Berlin who has been "canceled" by the local scene, and finds an ambitious and eccentric ally in the young village butcher Mia. What begins as pious village theater soon develops into an absurd spectacle – somewhere between a Passion play, provocative satire, and an exuberant rave ... With a strong ensemble led by Jens Albinus, Pit Bukowski, and Homa Faghiri, "Holy Meat" is a satirical and comical reflection on religious rituals, artistic freedom, and the search for meaning between tradition and modernity – sounds like just the right movie to start the new year.