Madwoman Of the Sacred Heart

Avant-garde filmmaker Jodorowsky (The Holy Mountain) and internationally renowned illustrator Moebius have crafted a graphic tour de force that perfectly fuses their particular sensibilities. Mining Jodorowsky's fascination with religion, mysticism and philosophy, the story follows Alan Mangel, a sixty-year-old professor of philosophy at La Sorbonne, whose world upended when his wife leaves him for another man. Along with Mangel's very public cuckolding comes the loss of the respect of his cult-like cadre of students, all save Elizabeth, a young beauty who claims a vision from God told her she would be impregnated by Mangel and their union would result in the second coming of John the Baptist. Following that statement, Mangel embarks on a spiritually and sexually-charged journey through farcical adventures with Elizabeth, a fellow believer named Muhammad, and the spectacularly-endowed and seemingly insane daughter of a Columbian drug lord, whom Elizabeth and Muhammad believe to be the earthly incarnation of Mary (though hardly virginal), but who comes to believe herself to be Jesusa, the self-proclaimed "androgynous Christ." Loaded with Jodorowsky's signature tropes, the story evolves into a full-blown hyperkinetic self-parody, fully aided and abetted by the loosest, most breezy work Moebius has done in years. (Nov.)