A standard-issue, no-tricks, yet perfectly calibrated movie from François Ozon? You'll see, as BY THE GRACE OF GOD opens

What's this? A movie from François Ozon that breaks no new ground in any direction yet tells a very important story so well that it could hardly be bettered? Yes. It is almost as if this famous French bad-boy filmmaker was thumbing his nose (and various other body parts) at those who've accused him of being mostly style, envelope-pushing and little else.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD (Grâce à Dieu) finds Ozon, pictured at left, working at his peak and showing us that he can, in the space of two hours and 17 minutes, give us a vital tale of religion and freedom, including a huge cast of characters -- each one fully created and performed -- that is compelling from the first and ever more riveting and enveloping as it moves steadily, often quietly along. Ozon has directed with a touch that is alternately light and strong, while writing/adapting his screenplay from a true story that has been, over recent years, making off-and-on headlines in France.

The filmmaker uses standard tropes such a narrative voice-over to lead us into this tale of adult French men, former or still-practising members of the Catholic faith, who have only recently stopped repressing memories of sexual abuse by a particular priest.

One after another they find each other and begin to explore ways to break into the tight circle of rigidity formed by the church, the media and the law -- all of which have long held sway over the very noticeably Catholic country of France.

After the initial and still very religious whistleblower (played by Melvil Poupaud, shown three photos up) tries his best to even slightly crack the protective shell of the church with no success, he convinces another family man, now an atheist (Denis Ménochet, two photos above)  to join him. Both their statute-of-limitations have run out, so they must seek younger men willing to come forward. (Turns out there are plenty of these, as our priest was quite the randy fellow where teenage boys were concerned.) This is not an easy task, though they are able to convince one highly troubled man (played beautifully by Swann Arlaud, above) to participate.

How Ozon and his fine cast bring all the plot strands and characters -- major and minor -- together with strategy, emotion, subtlety, and even a good deal of humor is more than exemplary. In fact, the film works even better than did our Oscar-winning Spotlight from a few years back. (That's Éric Caravaca, below, right, as the smart, caring doctor who joins the group.)

The run-up to the finale is exciting, of course, but it is the what-happened-here credit crawl at the end that should put your knickers in a twist. At this point, there should be no doubt in your mind how very Catholic a country France remains. For all it has brought the world in terms of philosophy, the arts and culture, it remains given over to myth worship that is not simply appalling but utterly detrimental to any real growth.

Although the male actors are the stars here, Ozon allows his females to shine brightly, too, among them that great French actress, Josiane Balasko (above, right), playing the Arlaud character's supportive if guilt-ridden mom. After winning Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, the film seems to TrustMovies to be a shoo-in for whatever the Academy has renamed the Best Foreign Language Film category this year. Scene by scene, line by line of succinct, smart dialog, By the Grace of God could hardly be bettered.

From Music Box Films, running 137 minutes and in French with English subtitles, the movie opens in New York City this Friday, October 18, at Film Forum and The Landmark at 57 West, and on October 25, it will hit Los Angeles (at the Landmark NuArt), Washington DC (at the Landmark E Street) and Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the Landmark Kendall Square. On November 8, it will open here in South Florida in the MDC Tower Theater and the Coral Gables Art Cinema. Click here then scroll down to click on Theatrical Engagements to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.