Mary Magdalene (2018)

An new perspective on the story of Jesus, this story is told through the eyes and experience of Mary Magdalene.

Mary (Rooney Mara) lives with her family, and goes about her daily life without much complaint. When a charismatic itinerant preacher named Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix) comes to the town of Magdala where she lives, she becomes very interested in him and in what he has to say.

When he leaves town a few days later, she leaves her family behind - not a commonly done thing in first-century Palestine - and follows him, joining his band of followers, including his closest disciple Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Judas Iscariot (Tahir Rahim) who - of course - will go on to betray Jesus, selling him to the authorities.

Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara).

There isn't much more that needs to be said about the plot; I think most people are familiar with this story by now. However, I will discuss some of the finer points of the film that make it different from all of the other 'Jesus' films we have seen before.

Firstly, as this film is in fact the story of Mary Magdalene, there are significant portions of the story - present in other stories of Jesus - that are not included in this film. For instance, after Jesus is arrested in Gethsemane, we do not pick up the story again until he is crucified; the entire back-and-forth nature of his trial and appearance before Herod and Pilate is omitted, as Mary - at least in this narrative - was not present for these events.

The screenplay, written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett, is not only based on the traditional gospels, but also seems to have been informed by the (so-called) apocryphal Gospel of Mary Magdalene, which also accounts for some of the points where the plot of this film deviates slightly from the story of Jesus audiences are most familiar with. The script is well-written, and presents all of the characters as fully-rounded people, in particular Jesus and Mary, the two primary protagonists of the film.

Jesus (Joaquin Phoenix).

Greig Fraser's cinematography deserves a mention here, too; his use of light and dark is absolutely stunning, as well as his use of shadows for contrast and highlighting of particular moments. There are significant portions of this film that take place in near-darkness, and these are well-captured throughout.

The film's score - by Hildur Guðnadóttir & Jóhann Jóhannsson - is adequate, though not spectacular. There is nothing particularly memorable or unique about the score, other than the fact it was the last film score Jóhannsson wrote before he passed away.

Fiona Crombie's production design and Jacqueline Durran's costumes work together to transport the viewer back to the first century. All the sets and locations are perfect, and the costumes well-researched and well executed, creating a realism to the film that certainly helps with setting the atmosphere.

Mary Magdalene (Rooney Mara).

The cast performances - as with the score - are adequate, though not spectacular. The exceptions to this are Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix, both of whom bring so much to their characters of Mary and Jesus respectively. Phoenix's Jesus is particularly good, better than many other portrayals of Jesus from other existing films.

Director Garth Davis has made a relatively decent film here, one that I certainly wouldn't mind seeing again. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you check it out if you get the chance; it's not that bad, but it's no masterpiece, either.

6 1/2 out of 10.