REVIEW: Mary Magdalene

Courtesy of IFC

Next time you hear someone complain about yet another superhero reboot, just think of how many movies have been made about Jesus. The film industry has literally been telling his story since the medium’s creation. Most of these features are content to cover the same ground and play it safe in order to attract devout audiences.

However, the most interesting of these films attempt to look at the familiar narrative from another angle. Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ is perhaps the most notorious example, but 2016’s Risen does it too.

Granted, that approach tends to alienate viewers who only watch to have their worldviews affirmed rather than challenged. But for those who aren’t threatened or offended by filmmakers drawn to the human side of these biblical characters, an unorthodox take on Jesus’ life can often lead to a new perspective on faith.

That’s what happened when I got the opportunity to see Mary Magdalene, which opened in limited release last week after sitting on the shelf for more than a year. It hits On Demand this weekend. (That doesn’t speak to the film’s quality, mind you; it was collateral damage in The Weinstein Company’s collapse.) Rather than tell the story through the eyes of Jesus or one of the dozen men who followed him, this version finally depicts what it might have been like to experience this momentous era as a woman.

In the first century A.D., the free-spirited, independent Mary (Rooney Mara) flees an arranged marriage, causing her family to disown her. Accustomed to scorn and judgment, she finds refuge and a sense of purpose in the teachings of a charismatic, divisive preacher named Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix).

The only woman among his band of disciples, which include the suspicious Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and the more welcoming Judas (Tahar Rahim), Mary defies the prejudices of a patriarchal society. As a result, she experiences a profound spiritual awakening and finds herself helping to spread Jesus’ message throughout the region.

Challenging the traditional, inaccurate depictions of this historically and spiritually important figure, Mary Magdalene is a fresh, often poignant look at a woman who risked her life and reputation for what she believed in. One of the main reasons it works is because it realistically depicts (if not historically, then at least emotionally) what life was probably like for these characters – especially women – by framing it through a modern lens.

While they’re not the first filmmakers to tackle biblical history in this way, director Garth Davis (who also helmed 2016’s outstanding Lion) and screenwriters Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett, craft a compelling narrative around the idea that conditions like mental illness, depression, or the “radical” notion that women should make their own decisions, could’ve easily been diagnosed as demonic possession.

What’s more, it’s certainly plausible that as Christianity evolved over centuries, power-hungry men felt threatened by a strong woman with good ideas and decided to weaken her cultural standing by repainting her as an overrated groupie or a prostitute. There’s no scriptural evidence for these erroneous, offensive depictions, but they took root in history nonetheless.

Mary Magdalene gets off to a sluggish start (scenes involving her family grow dull and repetitive almost immediately) and it’s a bit too long, but the pace picks up considerably once Mary meets Jesus and decides to join his group of followers. From that point on, powerful sequences come one after another because the filmmakers’ distinctly modern sensibility reframes the gospel that many of us have heard our entire lives in ways that feel almost revolutionary.

For instance, Jesus raising a man from the dead – while miraculous – is depicted as truly unsettling. It’s shot almost like a horror movie, which seems strange at first until you imagine what that feat must have been like for the people who experienced it as chronicled in the book of Luke.

Furthermore, in this version Peter and Judas represent the traditionally masculine desire to rule through force and violence. Mary is the one who immediately understands the concept of Christ’s rule as symbolic, that his kingdom won’t be an earthly one.

The disciples are portrayed as much more literal-minded, while it’s Mary who understands their leader’s figurative language. Once it becomes clear to the men that Mary’s interpretation is the correct one, it’s this revelation that launches Judas onto his road to betrayal, adding a corrosive layer of misogyny to his damnation. The film’s thesis is crystallized in its final moments with a blistering exchange between Mary and Peter, as well as powerful shots proving who most fervently preached Christ’s teachings.

The performances in Mary Magdalene are quite effective, although it might take a while to adjust your expectations. (Plus, it’s obviously ridiculous that it’s 2019 and we’re still seeing lily-white actors portray Middle Easterners.) Gone are the melodramatic, Shakespearean monologues delivered in faux British accents, which is what viewers might expect from a typical “Jesus movie.” Instead, the performers take a much more realistic approach, stressing the notion of these epic characters as actual human beings.

Mara, in particular, remains tough to pin down as an actress. A surface-level reading of her work might cause viewers to dismiss it as bland; yet further examination reveals a subdued demeanor masking her character’s frenetic interior life.

Phoenix’s depiction of Jesus is a compelling one, painting him as a hippie in some scenes and a wild-eyed radical in others. His confrontation with the moneychangers in the temple might be the film’s most haunting sequence. It’s one of the rare times an actor has made me understand why Rome would view Christ as a threat that must be eliminated.

The score, credited to Hildur Guonadottir and the late Johann Johannsson, is generally effective, although there are a couple of moments where it’s so bombastic that it feels like it doesn’t trust the material to be effective enough on its own. Greig Fraser’s exceptional cinematography adds even greater richness and depth to the film.

Viewers looking for a traditional account of the gospels or one that confirms their own denominational beliefs probably won’t like this interpretation of Jesus’ ministry. Mary Magdalene asks tough questions and wants the audience to consider how stories passed down over generations might have shifted and evolved to protect those who hold power – both the secular and spiritual variety. But if you think this version sounds intriguing, I think you’re in for something special.

Mary Magdalene is rated R for some bloody and disturbing images. (Note: this rating feels excessive. Although the crucifixion sequence is certainly intense, it’s brief and nowhere near as graphic as The Passion of the Christ. I’d argue it’s much closer to PG-13.)

Grade: B