Lent Reviews Year 5 Week 1: The Young Messiah (2016)

     The Young Messiah was released on March 11th, 2016. Based on Anne Rice's novel Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt it is directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh and written, for the screen, by the director and his wife, Betsy. It chronicles a year in the life of Jesus Christ (played by Adam Graves-Neal) beginning with the Holy family's return to Nazareth from their self-imposed exile Egypt and ending with the finding of the child Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem during Passover.

     Director Cyrus Nowrasteh had a rather controversial career before making this movie. He had directed two made-for-TV films dealing with historical subjects one of which was criticized by American conservatives (The Day Reagen was Shot) and the other by liberals (The Path to 9/11). He had also directed The Stoning of Soraya M a film which raised awareness about human rights violations in Iran and which was met with a great deal of stir in that country. Given the dark and inflammatory nature of his earlier work, it's somehow seems fitting that he should make this more uplifting, if still somewhat divisive film. The movie was met with mixed reception from Christian critics, some of whom took issue with its unorthodox portrayal of Jesus.

     The Young Messiah has a rather interesting perspective on Jesus, particularly as it relates to his humanity and his divinity. Jesus appears unaware of his divine nature. He performs miracles, raising a young boy from the dead and healing his sick uncle, Cleopas, but he doesn't understand why he can do these things. Some might think this is blasphemous but it's really not. Jesus has two natures, the nature of God and the nature of man. How much he knew, as a man, is not made clear in the scriptures. He may, like most children, have had to discover for himself who is is and where he came from. At the end of the film Jesus is told, by Mary, that he is God's Son, prompting Him to reply, "But we're all children of God." To which Mary says, "Yes. Yes, we are. But you... You are begotten of God."

     Many films dealing with the life of Christ attempt to build a conflict around either the Pharisees and/or the Roman authorities opposition to Jesus. This film is no exception. In this case Herod Antipas (Jonathan Baily), the son and heir of Herod the Great, finds out that a child, who can reportedly perform miracles, has survived his father's purge. Herod feels threatened by this and assigns a Roman Centurion named Severus (Sean Bean) to find and destroy the boy. Throughout the film Mary and Joseph are frightened for Jesus' safety from the Romans and, because of this, they discourage him from displaying his miraculous powers in public. This comes to a climax when Joseph decides to travel with the Holy family to Jerusalem for the Passover, giving Jesus' an opportunity to ask his Heavenly Father for answers. The screenwriters re-imagine the finding in the Temple as a climatic event, where Jesus leaves Mary and Joseph, who are preparing to turn back to Nazareth for fear of the Romans, and travels to the temple himself where he learns of the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem, which he escaped. He is found there by Severus who, ultimately, can't bring himself to kill Jesus, though falsely reporting to Herod that he has.

     The Romans aren't the films only antagonists however as Nowrasteh (or perhaps Anne Rice) borrows a page from Mel Gibson and includes Satan in the story. Played by Rory Keenan, the devil is seen early on in a scene where a young boy who is taunting Jesus dies. Throughout the film the devil tries to turn people against Jesus, though he is doesn't know that the child is actually God's Son. Jesus is able to see Satan, though no one else can, and the demon tries to torment Christ at one point, when he is suffering from an illness, telling Him that His miracles will do no good in the long run. Jesus speaks to Satan with authority, commanding him never to touch him.

     Adam Graves-Neal performance as Jesus is one of the more convincing ones I've seen. He imbues Christ with real humanity while also making him feel divine and otherworldly. His interactions with Rory Keenan's demon are particularly strong. The supporting cast are all solid as well, especially Sean Bean, who is great as always. His Severus is really a broken man and he garners our sympathy despite serving as the film's antagonist. Vincent Walsh is a good Joseph, though perhaps a little stiff at times. Sara Lazzaro is unfortunately a little sidelined as Mary but she does the best with what she has. Jane Lapotaire has a small but memorable role as Grandmother Sarah who saves the Holy Family from a group of Roman's looking for Nazarenes to blame for the recent insurrection. The direction is a little by-the-numbers, with a visual style reminiscent of Gladiator and The Passion of the Christ. The cinematography was done by Joel Ransom, who has mainly done TV work. It's competent but rather unremarkable. The score, by John Debney, is also a little bland but still effective. The film is carried, mainly, by the actors and the script.

     While not a masterpiece The Young Messiah offers a fairly fresh take on the childhood of Jesus. If your willing to accept a somewhat unconventional take on Christ's childhood I would definitely recommend it.

Score: 8/10