The Passion of the Christ

The Passion of the Christ is undoubtedly powerful and as divisive as any movie I have ever seen. It is far more interesting and provocative than The Last Temptation of Christ, for instance, which proved to be little more than a curiosity. The Passion will have far more impact and a lasting effect on movies.

Not only is it on a path to becoming one of the most wildly successful independent films of all time, it has proven that a purely religious movie can find a wide audience. It has proven that moviegoers will still sit through a movie that is difficult and challenging in hopes of finding something other than two hours of entertainment.

I originally wanted to write this review in three parts. Part one was to be a review of the movie as art, followed by a review of the movie from the point of view of a religious person, and finished by what I would imagine a non-religious person might think of the movie. Throughout the whole, I would discuss the charges of anti-Semitism and violence. After a night of reflection, I don't think I can do that.

This movie is too personal. Everyone who walks in will see the movie through his or her own filter of opinion, bias, and personal experience. That can be said of any movie, of course, but the emotionally charged subject matter here makes it near impossible to view the movie in anything resembling an objective manner.

If you go in looking to find anti-Semitism, you will find it. If you harbor anti-Semitism in your heart, you will find target for your anger. If you are a Christian, you will probably find a commanding representation of a portion of your faith. And if you naturally bear animosity toward Christianity or religion in generally, this won't change your view.

I am a Baptist. What I saw was a deeply affecting, impressive movie. It wasn't the ambitious failure that I originally imagined it would be, but it isn't a flawless film, either.

This isn't an anti-Semitic movie. Kindness and cruelty are in evidence in Jews and Romans, there are good and bad characters on all sides. To think that this movie blames all Jews for Jesus' death would be to ignore the Jewish council members who argue against the persecution of Jesus. You would also have to ignore the kindness of the woman who brings water to Jesus as he stumbles under the weight of his cross. You would have to ignore the man who carries Jesus' cross when his strength fails.

The view of the Romans, with a few exceptions, is far more unkind. The soldiers are barbaric and cruel. Pontius Pilate is a weak man who refuses to hear the truth and acts only to preserve his position. We might be a little sympathetic toward him, but it's pity, not respect. Only a handful of Romans are cast in a positive light, and that is wildly overshadowed by their brutality.

And the brutality. The scourging and the crucifixion are amongst the bloodiest and most painful scenes you are ever likely to see in a movie. Kill Bill and movies of that nature are far more violent and far bloodier, it's true. What sets this apart is the callous laughter of the soldiers while we watch one of the more jolting and real tortures ever filmed.

It doesn't feel like a cartoon or like a joke. It doesn't feel a step removed. It feels real and visceral. Watching Jesus being beaten, seeing his flesh tearing and the blood splatter is one of the most difficult things I've ever sat through.

The complaints about the gore and violence are easily understood. Yet, I do think there is at least one precedent, and I do think there is a point to it. The precedent in my mind is the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, as bloody and violent as anything this side of The Passion. Both movies do their very best to pull the audience into the moment to convey the sheer horror and nightmare of the events that they portray.

By making it feel so real, this gives the sacrifice of the Son of God moral weight. The sacrifice of Jesus was necessary to complete the new covenant with God. Showing the cost of sacrificing an innocent man for the sins of the world had to carry the same weight as the actual act of sacrifice.

From the first moments in the garden, while Jesus waits for the soldiers, that weight is felt. His fear and pain are palpable. In fact, the acting is almost uniformly excellent throughout the film, and there is more depth to them than some of the reviews would have you believe. Yes, some of the characters essentially show up only for a few moments and then are gone, a reflection of events from a biblical standpoint. Like a stranger that you meet on the street, though, their actions can be deep and meaningful without your ever knowing their names.

The movie also gives us a skulking figure of Satan. Through most of the movie, this is an effective tool. When children hector Judas, we feel and see a demonic presence that has seemingly come to claim his soul. When we see Jesus remembering his mother, Satan walks through the crowd in a vile mockery of motherhood, holding what seems to be a misshapen, leering child in his arms. The haunted, spectral feeling helps create tension and disgust throughout the movie. Only in two particular instances did I feel that the presence distracted from the movie or felt misplaced.

Jesus message of love and forgiveness is present, too. It's easy to see this message in the short excerpts from his sermon on the mount, in his relationship with his followers and his mother, and in the words that he says on the cross.

The Passion portrays Jesus' strength, humanity, message, suffering, death, and resurrection, and does all to reasonable effect. What I couldn't get away from was an overwhelming sense of guilt during the movie. When I saw the greed and pettiness of Judas in betraying Jesus, I saw every moment in my life where I put money or spite ahead of my beliefs and principles. In seeing the weakness as Peter denied Christ, I saw those times where I was too weak to stand in the face of what I knew was wrong. Through the whole movie, I saw my own cruelty to the weak, my own fear, my own greed, my own arrogance, my own anger, and my own sin.

But then, the knowledge that there is something more being offered to me--a salvation and a forgiveness--is what gives this movie both its moral weight and it's spiritual uplift.

This is a difficult movie to review. Some of what I saw and heard I carried into the theater with me. It would have benefited from more focus on Jesus preaching to help give context to the film that might be lost on those who don't have a religious background. Whether the film was too violent is also open to some interpretation; I would say it was not, but I think there is a legitimate argument that Gibson's point could have been made without quite so much gore.

I think that would have left the film feeling far less real, though.

In the end, I don't think this is a movie for casual Christians or for non-believers. It's a painful meditation on why Christ was crucified and why we have hope of salvation. As such, it shows the ugliest possible side of people along with the kindness.

Jews didn't kill Jesus. All of humanity bears that burden, in one sense. And, as Jesus makes abundantly clear from the very first scene, none could take his life without his consent. His consent was the knowledge of necessity, and was an act of love and self-sacrifice.

Posted by zombyboy at February 26, 2004 10:44 AM | TrackBack