Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 14, 2020

The lumbering 1967 musical version of Doctor Dolittle featured a sequence with a so-called Pushmi-pullyu (basically a llama with a head on each end of its body) which was serenaded by none other than Richard Attenborough with the semi-jaunty tune appropriately (given the context, and all things considered) entitled "I've Never Seen Anything Like It in My Life". Frankly, a llama with a head on each end of its body would be among the more mundane things witnessed in Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway, but one way or the other, you may feel like breaking into a verse or two of that aforementioned Leslie Bricusse tune if you choose to watch this completely odd outing which virtually serves as a prime example of sui generis. Because Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is so completely peculiar, I'm simply going to follow the lead of commentator Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, who, instead of trying to offer a plot summary in her analysis, simply reads the following precis featured on the film's Kickstarter campaign page:

It’s 2035 and Tallinn, now a megalopolis, is managed by an ubiquitous computer program called Psychobook. Undercover agents Gagano and his boss Palmer Eldritch are tasked with protecting Psychobook from any and all threats.

When a dangerous virus called “Soviet Union” is detected within Psychobook, the agents are assigned the mission to destroy it. During the mission, when accidentally inhaling a strange gas-emitting substance, Gagano becomes trapped in Betta Ethiopia, a parallel reality where he is considered the true heir to the throne. As he tackles the challenge of becoming the new Emperor, a battle breaks out in Betta Ethiopia between the Prime Minister, a firm supporter of the state apparatus and Psychobook, and Reverend Roy, a sect leader who promotes the free use of the substance for truth seeking and liberation purposes. When Gagano befriends Roy Mascarone, a Jesus Christ-like figure, he will learn how to use the substance to travel within realities, knowledge that will finally lead Gagano to the ultimate truth.

If that description above doesn't either boggle your mind or pique your interest (and perhaps possibly do both simultaneously), it's important to realize that added to the pure gonzo proclivities of the plot is the film's visual anarchism. That includes the actor playing Agent Gagano, Daniel Tadesse, whom (lest anyone think this is me being un-PC or insensitive in any way) Heller-Nicholas and her co-commentator Anton Bitel overtly describe as a "dwarf" with "a severe hunchback". That gives the film an immediately distinctive flavor, at least in terms of "traditional" depictions of suave, strapping secret agents. Tadesse's casting is probably matched by the inclusion of newcomer Gerda-Annette Allikas as Gagano's main squeeze, a kind of hefty looking kickboxing woman named Malin who has dreams of opening her own martial arts academy. But even aside from some of the performers in the film, the whole Matrix Trilogy-esque "virtual reality" aspect (in case the above description isn't clear, Gargano and Eldritch "enter" the computer program) features characters wearing bizarre masks with a number of famous faces including Robert Redford, Richard Pryor and (just for good measure) Josef Stalin, with the characters in these sequences "animated" via what looks like stop motion.

Lest anyone be thinking that isn't quite enough for a feature film, in true "but wait, you also get" fashion Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway also features a Batman like superhero (whose chest insignia keeps pixellating, making it unreadable), which video essayist Will Webb likens to the so-called "Luchador" films from Mexico. There's also a subplot involving Gagano's "real world" handlers informing him (in his computerized version) that he's stuck there, with only intermittent advice being given by what might be termed a holographic anthropomorphized version of Microsoft's "Clippy", in this case a little apparation whimsically named Jiminy (Aris Rozentals). It's all just bat guano crazy most (all?) of the time, and some may feel overwhelmed by the sheer audacity of everything that's on display.

And in fact it may be the baseline volume of material that Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway offers that is simultaneously its biggest allure but also potentially its biggest stumbling block. There is so much going on in this film that it's almost hard to keep track of at times, as if the viewer, like Gagano, has become stuck in some alternate (un?)reality where even "going with the flow" presents certain hazards. All of that said, for adventurous types on the hunt for something completely unique and unabashedly bizarre, Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway will almost certainly be appreciated. Just bone up on the lyric to "I've Never Seen Anything Like it In My Life" before watching.

Note: This Limited Edition of Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway includes a bonus Blu-ray disc offering Llansó's first feature Crumbs. In some ways, I'd almost recommend those unfamiliar with Llansó's work to start with that film, as it's arguably a little (emphasis on little) more straightforward in its narrative. I offer my thoughts on the film in our Crumbs Blu-ray review.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 and 1.41:1 (the discrepancy between this aspect ratio and the 1.33:1 reported immediately below is due at least in part to the fact that the quasi-Academy ratio sections are slightly windowboxed in this presentation, as can be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review). Arrow's insert booklet contains the following fairly generic verbiage on the transfer:

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway is presented in its original 1.85:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios [sic] with original 5.1 surround and stereo audio. The High Definition master was provided by Lazendera Films.

As can probably be clearly seen by perusing through the various screenshots, not only are there varying aspect ratios on display, different filming techniques were utilized, including 16mm and what the IMDb lists as "video". There's therefore a somewhat heterogeneous element to the presentation here, though it looks to me like there are 16mm sequences in both aspect ratios (see screenshots 1 and 14 for just a couple of examples), and similarly what looks like digital capture can show up in both aspect ratios as well (see screenshots 3, 9 and 11). That may tend to support my apprehension that there's no underlying logic or conversely "meta" reason for these changes. When there is a noticeable grain field, it can be on the chunky side at times, as again can probably be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. The palette is nicely suffused throughout, though a lot of the "VR" material can be rather dark.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 tracks. As Heller-Nicholas and Bitel get into in their informative commentary, and rather surprisingly I might add, the entire film was evidently dubbed, and indeed the film's IMDb page does list a slew of voice talents in various roles. That gives the proceedings an even more surreal bent at times, not just with regard to occasional "sync" issues which may remind some of classic Italian cinema, but also due to some deliberately odd decisions like having Stalin speak with a thick Irish brogue. The film's sound design features some kind of wonderful quasi 8-bit videogame music cues, but there's appealing surround activity throughout the 5.1 track.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Limited Edition of 2000 copies comes with a bonus Blu-ray disc offering Llansó's first feature Crumbs For full details on that disc, including its supplements, please refer to our Crumbs Blu-ray review . This particular disc's supplements are:

• Audio Commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Anton Bitel


• From Tallinn with Love (1080p; 13:49) is an interesting and shall we say eclectic analysis by Will Webb which offers a litany of references Webb sees in the film.


• A Conversation with Miguel Llansó (1080p; 25:50) is an audio supplement featuring Josh Hurtado interviewing Llansó in June of 2020. This plays to excerpts from the film.


• Miguel Llansó's Short Films

  Chigger Ale (2013) (1080p; 11:34)

  
  

  Night in the Wild Garden (2015) (1080p; 6:37)

• Promotional Materials

  Original Proof of Concept Trailer (1080p; 3:33)

  
  

  Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:00)

  
  

  Image Gallery (1080p; 20:51)

Additionally, this comes with Arrow's typically very nicely appointed insert booklet, as well as a double sided fold out poster.

Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

To call Jesus Shows You the Way to the Highway "audacious" may be one of the crowning (of thorns or otherwise) understatements of all time, and that should be both a siren call and perhaps a bit of a warning for those interested in this completely one of a kind film. If you're willing to just let Llansó and his team take you where their seeming ADHD fueled imaginations want you to go, this is a weird and wacky viewing experience unlike any other in my recent memory. Those who want stable narratives and a familiar presentational style might want to either think twice before entering or at least bolster themselves with whatever calming substances they prefer. I personally loved this film simply because it is so strange, and as usual Arrow has provided a release with solid technical merits and some really appealing supplements. Recommended.