"Why would Bart then return to the house, knowing 1) they want to stab him with a sharp twisty knife 2) having seem Jasmine just down the road and wanting to find her again?"
Remember, Bart was involved in the motorbike accident. He had no knowledge of what went on inside the house. He only knew that he had been pranked in interrupted when he was about to get lucky. When they arrived back at the house, his dog immediately got in the fight. Bart never went inside or saw what Joseph was doing. Bart probably thought Ladj was insane for having run over Joseph and leaving Jasmine behind. That's why he got out. I assume he walked back on the road, but not finding Jasmine and not knowing what had actually happened, going back to the house would be the logical place to go.
I applaud much of the religious parallels people have come up with, as I hadn't thought of them all. I'm not sure the film is meant to be literal, however. Usually works steeped in symbolism are not intended that way. Much like those characters in the religious discussion at the table, Joseph has his own religion--he's a Satanist. He has committed incest and I think it's clearly implied that such practice is common for him, and one he also seeks to justify and use for his own benefit. A woman in the town could be his niece or daughter or...both. He's also clearly the "alpha dog" in the town. I assume Eve is the result of inbreeding, but just got lucky with her looks, and as such is very useful to Joseph and treated differently than the other siblings/cousins. I'm not sure Joseph is invincible. It's just another religious story or belief. The only thing that wouldn't support this is that he gets run over by the car, but that sort of thing happens as a device in horror films somewhat frequently, and doesn't preclude a more logical explaination. The guy is built like a house. I think, then, the doll is really just a construct for Joseph, or perhaps an offering, and not something Satan will literally be fooled into taking. We never see Satan in the film and therefore have no reason to believe he'll come into the picture. Also, in regards to Joseph choosing Bart, Joseph clearly desires and admires strength and usefulness, and it was likely apparent from the beginning that Bart was the fighter, the strong one. He had just come from a fight. It makes sense he would be the one Joseph would pick and admire.
And for anyone who like the placenta scene, another French film to check out is À l'intérieur.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0856288/
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Citymars
16 years ago
Saw this on cable last night. Reminded me most of "Calvaire", as others have referenced. Both movies freaked me out. I could barely stand to watch them, but couldn't turn away.
Though the movie had blackly comedic elements, it should hardly be described foremost as a comedy, which is one of the genre's listed here and the one word the cable television guide used to label the film.
Btw, when dream-sequence Bart was in the hospital at the end, did you notice the goat's hoof on the instrument tray?
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