Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn is not the only film at LFF that had to contend with the glory of its predecessor. Jeymes Samuel (also known by his stage name The Bullitts) had a marvelous directorial debut with 2021’s The Harder They Fall, a revisionist Western for Netflix that put his highly stylized sensibilities on full display. His second feature, The Book of Clarence, takes a big jump in both stakes and scope, bringing us all the way back to AD 33 in Lower City, Jerusalem. Samuel takes a story that most of the world knows (and some believe) and doesn't so much as revise it but poses the question “What if this happened instead?” After all, whether this is revisionist or not depends on your beliefs. But aside from the Jesus Christ of it all, The Book of Clarence is a wild ride of pure cinematic fun while also offering a sincere story of belief and man’s search for meaning.