Healing Wounds
Gibson's Passion Shows Suffering and Sacrifice

There has already been a lot of discussion of The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson's depiction of the final hours of Jesus' life) in the news and media. Sticking closely to the four Gospels in the Bible, Gibson tried to be as authentic as possible, including filming it in two dead languages, Aramaic and Latin. The film is a violent portrayal of Jesus' torture, crucifixion, and death. Although it will undoubtedly shock most people, the film is amazing, powerful, and inspiring.

The Passion of the Christ begins in the garden of Gethsemene on the night of Jesus' eventual betrayal. The Jesus audiences are introduced to is ringed out, sweating, and exhausted from prayer. His three closest disciples are sleeping, so Jesus wakes them and asks them to be on watch. While Judas is making arrangements with temple leaders to turn over Jesus to them, Satan appears to Jesus and tries to sway him from his destiny. Soon guards appear in the garden. Judas then betrays Jesus, setting into motion the final 12 hours of Jesus' life.

James Caviezel's portrayal of Jesus is completely engrossing. From the impassioned prayer in the garden, to the tenderness he shows in multiple flashbacks on his life and ministry, this is a Jesus with whom audiences can empathize. He seems sympathetic when he stands chained before the Sanhedrin and the high priest Caiphas (Mattia Sbragia). Already beaten and humiliated, he seems pitiful. By the time he is caned and whipped by Roman soldiers, nearly scourged to death, audiences cannot help but feel every blow.

Caviezel is not the only outstanding performance in the film. Maia Morgenstern does excellent as Jesus' mother Mary. Her anguish at seeing her son beaten and condemned to death is heartbreaking. As she watches him carry his cross and fall, she flashes back to a memory of her son as a boy falling in the dirt. The overlapping memory and present combine for a powerful image showing her overwhelming desire to aid her son and her helplessness to do anything about it.

The film is beautiful. From the misty midnight garden to the sun-bleached sand and rock during the day, The Passion has a feeling of authenticity. The Roman columns in Pontius Pilate's (Hristo Shopov) palace are breathtaking.

The script does a good job of staying faithful to the Gospels. There are certain words (favorite lines, if you will) that one expects to hear in the story of Christ. These words of Jesus and those around him are critical to making a good film. From Peter's (Francesco De Vito) denial of Jesus to Pilate's "What is truth?" all the important lines are there.

The emphasis of the film is certainly on Christ's suffering, but it also takes time to hit some important messages from Jesus' ministry. In various flashbacks, we see Christ imploring his disciples to "Love your enemies." During the Last Supper, we also see the institution of the sacrament of communion. These moments tell the story behind the suffering.

Make no mistake, however, this is one person's retelling of the crucifixion story. There is no way Gibson could make a film that would perfectly satisfy everyone. For instance, watching Jesus carry the cross and fall, repeatedly, seems needlessly extended. While an important part of the suffering, it doesn't convey the same sense of sacrifice as the rest of the film.

For me, the biggest drawback to the film was the resurrection. In a film that so carefully followed the Gospels, I was stunned that the resurrection failed to show an angel rolling back the stone from the empty tomb. Instead, we see a brief glimpse of Jesus standing beside the empty burial cloth, like some ancient illusionist escaping from his bonds.

The Passion of the Christ is a graphically brutal film. Those who understand the reason for Jesus' suffering and death will be able to see beyond the pain and torture, but the depiction of the beatings and the crucifixion are difficult to watch. The R rating is appropriate. Children and adults who are disturbed by violence should not attend.

MY RATING: 9 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 127 min.