"See, mother, I make all things new."
"See, mother, I make all things new."
STARRING
Jim Cavaziel
Maia Morgenstern
Monica Belluchi
Rosalina Celentano
Directed by Mel Gibson, rated R
Let me begin by saying that this is not a good movie. Nor is it a bad one. At least, I think I can guarantee that when the last scene fades to black and the credits start to roll, you won’t be thinking, “Well that was good.” If you’re anything like me, and even if you’re not religious, the visual imagery of this film will probably shock you so much that it will be a while before you can really form an opinion about it.
“Passion” is derived from the Latin term pasio- which means “suffering”. And indeed that is the main focus of the movie. It tells the story of the last twelve hours of the life of Jesus Christ, hours that were filled with betrayal, suffering, love, death, forgiveness, and so much more. Gibson relied mainly on the four Gospels as his source material, which I’m fairly certain makes this the most biblically accurate Hollywood movie about Jesus to date. He does invoke some of his artistic license, but in most cases I don’t think this hurts the film; it only serves to make it more powerful.
As of now I’ve seen this film twice. The first time I saw it was more of an emotional experience, so I’ll talk about that first. The Jesus it presents is not the Jesus often displayed and preached in many churches. When dealing with the crucifixion most of the churches I know tend to focus more on what it meant instead of what actually happened. And while I agree that that is important, I think the message is more powerfully conveyed with both aspects are taken into account. This film will be a wake-up call to some viewers as to the extent of Christ’s suffering, but that’s not a bad thing.
The Jesus portrayed here is more human than any other Jesus I’ve seen on film. Most films of this nature portray him as the Son of God, but don’t also show that he was a man as well. The first scene shows Jesus praying in the garden of Gethesmane, while his disciples sleep and keep watch. I had always heard that Jesus faced inner conflict about his own death, but had never seen it on screen (this is one reason why I want to see Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ) until now. And it is truly remarkable. Here we see Jesus calling out to his Father in anguish as Satan stands in the shadows and tells him that no man can bear his burden… “saving them from their sins is too costly. No one. Never.” Jesus sweats blood as he calls to God for strength, and by the end of the scene knows what he has to do; though it certainly will be costly.
Most of the movie is spent kicking the audience in the stomach with images of Christ covered in blood, a crown of thorns upon his head. I spent most of the movie with tears in my eyes, and was interrupted more than once by the sounds of people sobbing in the theater. It’s not just that we see an innocent man being brutally beaten and tortured for crimes he didn’t commit (though others certainly believed he did), it’s how he reacts to it. He makes no attempt to save his own life, though he is given many opportunities. In fact, he seems to almost be encouraging people to hit him harder, and kill him faster. After being beaten with sticks in one extremely graphic scene, he slowly and wearily stands up, as if to say: “Is that all you’ve got?” He never loses sight of his purpose; he is constantly asking God for the strength to continue. And that is one thing I find truly amazing. Even if some refuse to believe the religious aspects of the movie, I’m sure quite a few people will leave the theater admiring the spirit of Jesus, and the lengths he went through to do what he had to do. Perhaps you will watch the film and come to the conclusion that he was simply a man, but it would be impossible to deny that he was a man worth aspiring to be, if simply due to his unfaltering faith and commitment.
The humanity of Jesus is further accentuated in the use of flashbacks, which provide the audience with a much-needed break from all the bloodshed – the first one especially. Here we see Jesus as a young man, a carpenter, building a table. His mother Mary comes out to offer him something to eat and ask him about what he is building. What follows is a rather humorous conversation that enables the audience to get a sense of just how human Jesus was; even if he was 100% God, he was also 100% just a normal guy, and lighthearted moments such as this give the film a nice balance between its portrayal of both aspects.
This film will impact people. I spent most of the movie simply wondering, “Why? Why did you go through all of this for me?” The answer: love. Different people will have different interpretations of what the “message” of the film is (more on this later), but the bottom line is that it is truly powerful. This is a masterpiece of cinema, simply because of how it is able to affect the audience, even long after being shown.
The second time I saw it, I focused more on the technical aspects of it: the imagery, acting, directing, etc. From a technical point of view, this film is magnificent. Gibson has made not just a film, but an incredible piece of art.
The images of this film are so powerful, and at times shocking, that there’s no way of knowing how people will react. Some will approve it for being historically accurate and its harsh depiction of the last hours of Christ, but others will hate it due to the extreme violence and blood. This is without a doubt one of the most violent and gory movies I have ever seen. Things seem fine for the first 30-40 minutes, but once Jesus stands before Pilate a second time, you know things are about to get messy. He is flogged for fifteen to twenty minutes straight, forced to carry a heavy cross which repeatedly causes him to stumble and fall, and the bearer of a crown of thorns until he’s finally nailed to his cross and lifted up for everyone to see. Gibson pushes the R rating to its limit, and supposedly earlier cuts had even more blood.
The fact that these images are not gratuitous (this really did happen) and Gibson’s incredible directing serve to make this movie bearable to watch and also help make it more powerful. Many shots appear as if they could easily be copied from paintings or other works of art. Flashbacks are invoked right at the moments that will strike a chord with the audience, as well as give them a short break from all the violence. The soft brown tones of the flashbacks contrast with the harsh colors of the torture scenes. This film is filled with blood and disturbing images, but at the same time it has a strange beauty to it as well. Although sometimes Gibson seems to go a little too far in terms of “style” (for example, pointless slow-motion when Jesus is arrested), on the whole his directing is magnificent.
The acting is also astounding. Cavaziel does an amazing job portraying Christ’s suffering as well as his struggle to accept his fate. This is his best performance to date. Maia Morgenstern was the perfect choice for Mary; she brings her character to life so well that the audience can clearly see her emotional battle as she struggles to accept what must be done to her Son. Rosalina Celentano is stunning as Satan, never blinking and always in the crowd as Christ is crucified. The other actress worth mentioning as Monica Belluci as Mary Magdalene, a completely different type of role than her other movies. She only has a few lines in the film, but her facial expressions and solemn mood say more than words ever could.
I was happy to find that Gibson’s portrayal of Christ’s passion stays very close to biblical accounts. Many scenes, such as when Jesus stands before Pilate, are recreated word for word from the four gospels. However, Gibson does use his artistic license to add things that are not biblical, mainly due to his Catholic upbringing. A lot of emphasis is placed on Mary, for example, and he has also included Veronica, a figure who in Catholic tradition washed the face of Jesus after one of his falls – look closely to see His face print in the cloth. Both these instances reinforce emotions and themes present throughout the film, and the latter is useful in combating anti-Semitism. The only scene where I felt Gibson might have gone a little too far was when he dealt with Judas. The betrayer of Christ is portrayed very sympathetically in the movie, and I don’t have a problem with that, but is there any reason to include demonic children as part of his downfall? In some ways it’s almost comical. Other than that, however, whatever Gibson adds that wasn’t originally in the Bible either doesn’t detract from the film, or goes as far to make it an even better experience.
Some people have talked about the evangelical use of this film, though quite honestly I can’t see that it would be a particularly effective tool. It does not make the claim that Jesus was/is the Son of God. Rather it says, “Here’s what the Bible says happened. Make up your own mind.” It chooses to focus more on the themes of love and forgiving one’s enemies rather than that of salvation. That, and other reasons, make it serve little use as a tool for evangelism.
The different people who watch this movie will all have different interpretations as to what it’s trying to say. Some will say it’s about man’s inhumanity to man, others will think it’s about forgiving your enemies, and others will get something completely different out of it – and in a way, they’re all right. Some will find that the strong theme of the movie is that all of us killed Christ, and will feel intense guilt. I myself didn’t think the movie did much to promote that idea, and at the end I simply felt extremely grateful rather than guilty, but that just demonstrates how effective Gibson is as presenting what he wants to say – there’s something in this film for everyone. Also, I should probably mention that I found the movie to be in no way anti-Semitic. The Jews are a nameless mob, and it’s quite evident from the film that we shouldn’t blame an entire people for the death of Christ. Yes, some wanted to see him dead, but others (his disciples, Simon, Veronica, and even some of the priests of the Sanhedrin) did everything they could to prevent this from happening. If this film is prejudiced against anyone, it’s the Romans, who the majority of the time are portrayed as sadistic idiots who have no compassion at all.
From a technical standpoint, this film is excellent. From a spiritual and emotional point of view, it is extremely powerful. If you can handle the extreme violence and gore, you might possibly take something out of the theater that you didn’t go in with. Whether that’s good or bad will depend on the individual. On the whole, this movie is not perfect, but it is an excellent work of cinema that shows how film can deeply impact an audience. For that alone it deserves an 8/10.
Bottom Line: A truly powerful film that will have different effects on each individual who watches it. This is why I enjoy movies: they do have the power to impact lives.
Should I see it? If you aren’t very sensitive to blood and gore, and can overlook some of the film’s few shortcomings, then yes. Whether or not you like the film, you can’t deny that it will be quite an experience to watch it.