Mel Gibson spent $25 million of his own money to make The Passion of the Christ. Not only did he take it upon himself to make the film but he also decided to make it in a way that was guaranteed to cause controversy. It features absolutely no spoken English — all of the spoken dialogue is in either Latin or Aramaic subtitled in English — and it is graphically violent in its depiction of the last 12 hours of Jesus Christ. This is not a film that is easy to digest. It could spark hundreds of different conversations from one viewing. As a reviewer, it’s difficult to tackle a film like this without acknowledging that virtually anything I say is going to offend some, piss off others, and generally antagonize different people — all for entirely different reasons. That said, I really thought I’d have a different reaction to the film than the one I experienced.
It became apparent to me half way through The Passion of the Christ that the movie was going to drive home its point about the suffering of Jesus during his last hours. No amount of publicity or public outcry that I’d heard about the violence before seeing the film could have prepared me for the personal feelings I had during the film. “Enough already with the beating and brutality,” I thought to myself during a scene where Christ is whipped repeatedly by his Roman captors. I understand Gibson’s attempt to make the suffering Christ endured seem impossible to withstand by a mere mortal. I knew that was his intention before I stepped into the theater. The visceral reality of it is just unpleasant and repulsive.
On the technical side of things, Gibson has made a beautiful movie. It’s not just visually impressive (aside from the gore), but it features some effective performances as well. Caviezel’s Christ looks to be one of the better film depictions of the man in the few scenes we see him doing something other than being destroyed. A flashback featuring a playful Jesus and Mary Magdalene (Monica Bellucci) made me long to see more of that kind of interaction. Hristo Shopov’s portrayal of Pontius Pilate is very sympathetic and very good. He’s one of the more complex characters in the story and, hence, one of the more interesting.
There has been quite a bit of attention paid to the film’s supposed anti-Semitic point-of-view. It is really easy to come away with the opinion that it is anti-Semitic. The high priests, led by Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia), seem hell-bent on having Christ crucified without the script really explaining exactly why they’re so outraged by his mere presence. I, personally, understand the reason why but it’s not a point that’s made with the same intensity as other aspects of the film. Subtlety is not very abundant in The Passion of the Christ.
Had I gone into the theater expecting a movie about the teachings of Christ or some new perspective on why he is such a marvelously interesting character, I would have been sadly disappointed. However, I knew going in that the film was going to concentrate on his torture and death. Still, I left the theater with a feeling of being manipulated into feeling sorry for someone. Not in a spiritual way, mind you, but more like a person might feel during a brainwashing. Had I not been raised as a Catholic — of which I am no longer — I can’t say that I would have known what was going on in the film. The script is so intent on focusing on the beating, stabbing, whipping and bloodletting that it completely alienates anyone who is not already familiar with the story. In so many words, it’s preaching to the converted. It probably left me with more questions than answers, but not spiritual questions. The film did nothing to point me towards Christianity as a source of answers of any kind. If that was Gibson’s intention, he has failed.
All of the hype aside, The Passion of the Christ is most certainly unlike any other film I’m likely to see this year. I don’t regret seeing it and I certainly understand the conviction with which it was made. I just wish it hadn’t been so disappointing and repulsive. For a film that could have inspired people to love and understand one another, it’s a shame that it left me feeling as cold as it did.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
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