The Passion of The Christ
I saw The Passion of The Christ last night, with my friend, named appropriately enough, Christian.
I had mental overload at some points and literally fell asleep. Not out of boredom. Not because i was tired before i went to the theater. It mentally exhausted me, all that suffering. Christian kept me awake, shaking my arm from time to time. He seemed unaffected. I flinched and turned away, yelped and moaned at one point. It was too hard to watch. I think i have come to a point in my life where i can’t watch violence, its just too hard to brush off as entertainment. It felt like physical blows, like a psychic attack.
It was historically accurate, it was beautifully stylized and shot very well. Jim Caviezel was stoic and convincing. Maia Morgenstern and Monica Bellucci did well in their roles. But how could they not? Even as actors, the sight of Jim as Jesus scourged and beaten, dragging a huge cross, falling, being mock whipped and beaten, would be hard for even the most cynical person not to react to.
Watching this movie was to sit and witness, without pause, extremes of pain and cruelty. It was a punishing onslaught of violence, highlighting the torment of man over man. Are human beings really that cruel? Yes, they are. Is there value is showing this kind of suffering? I honestly don’t know. I would like to know more about Mel Gibson’s process in making this film, to understand the motives and intention behind it’s creation.
Christian and i talked for a bit afterward but i was so tired. He questioned the casting – noting that everyone looked Italian, not middle eastern looking. We discussed the value of the movie and of the myth of Jesus. What does it represent? A man takes on the worst of man’s sins – violence, arrogance, disregard, dehumanizing another human being, murder, assault, anger, bitterness, control, oppression – and bears them as a martyr. He suffered for our sins, Christians believe. The suffering in this film was intense, brutal, exposing things that i didn’t think i would ever witness.
I am not a Christian. I am very spiritual, believing in a higher power. I do not follow any particular doctrine, except for my study and meditation on the Tao and Buddist ideals. I am not sure how this film will help or entertain anyone. It was a herculean feat of production and the filmmakers should be very proud of their work. If compared to other biblical movies, like The Last Temptation of Christ, in which the dilemmas of being both man and god were explored as a personal crisis, The Passion of Christ was a long process of witnessing torture and death, without discussion or process. The suffering was unrelenting and escalated to death finally.
It was traumatic for me to watch this film. I would have a hard time recommending it to anyone, even as an exploration of style or content. Perhaps that will change with a few days distance from the viewing.
:) melissa
