The Garden of the Blind

Last night, I saw The Passion of the Christ. Before seeing it, I read several reviews of the film, almost all of which described it as a technical masterpiece, a (spiritually) moving film, and extremely violent. At least one reviewer felt that he couldn’t recommend in general because it simply will not work for them.

All of them were right. It was an amazing film and one of the most visceral experiences I have ever had from watching a movie. In spite of my preparation, I was woefully unprepared for the amount and intensity of violence. As Christ was brought in to be scourged, I noticed that the post and the ground around it had a pinkish shade to it. By the time the scourging was over, His entire body was covered with wounds and blood, as was the entire area around it. From then until He was finally in place on the cross (and actually for most of the time leading up to it) there was hardly a moment where someone was not beating him. The abuse was relentless, and through it all, He was covered in blood that was dripping off of Him. I could barely stand it for much of the film, and I’m not sure if I will ever subject myself to watching it again.

It was also very Catholic. This is to be expected, but once again I was surprised at just how much so this was the case.

Many aspects of this film were amazing. If it is in contention for awards next year, I suspect that it will win several Oscars including Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actress (possibly Actress if they figure that Mary’s role is prominent enough), Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Makeup, Visual Effects, Sound, and Sound Editing. Editing and Costume Design are also possibilities. The film was beautiful, and the acting was impressive. In fact, the only beef I have with it in that respect is that Mary Magdalene was an entirely superfluous character (and having her played by Matrix girl Monica Bellucci didn’t help).

Can I recommend it? In general, no. If you are at all uncomfortable with violence, then this is not a film for you. Watch The Lamb of God (originally titled To This End Was I Born, back when it had better scriptures and an extra scene) instead. If you can handle it and feel that it is appropriate to see it, then I think that you will be given one of the most significant theatrical experiences of your life.