The Gospel According to Harry

Wes and Karen, a middle-class American couple, live on a desert patch of land where household appliances are buried in sand and everyday life crumbles like a poorly constructed set. Surrounded by the constant noise of television programs, they drift through a barren existence, further disrupted by visits from parents, officials, and doctors. Trapped in their own stagnation, they fail to notice even the brutal event unfolding right next door—the crucifixion of a black man. The titular Harry, a tax collector, sets the boundaries of their duties and consumption, becoming the embodiment of the system. Majewski divides the film into parts named after biblical books, as if to give the story a metaphysical weight—although the characters seem utterly incapable of bearing their own lives, let alone the tragedies of others.