Last Days in the Desert

Despite its very slow pacing, I found this film to be an absorbing tale, with a concise and sharp screenplay from Colombian filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia, who also directed the movie.

Ewan McGregor does well in his portrayal of Yeshua (Jesus). who has entered the desert alone for prayer and reflection, trying to get in touch with his inner self and to also connect spiritually with his Father. McGregor has a dual role here, as he also plays The Demon (Satan), who taunts and tempts Yeshua along the way.

Yeshua, on his way to Jerusalem, encounters a family living in the desert, and the strong acting of each family member from Ciaran Hinds, Tye Sheridan, and Ayelet Zurer adds well to the mix, as well as the movie being enhanced by its spectacular cinematography.

Overall, if one doesn't mind the low-key and very deliberate pacing, there's an engrossing tale to be told here, buoyed by a fine cast and the no-frills writing of Garcia.

it seems strange. far by the classic story of Jesus in Carantania desert. without the well known temptations and without the expected answers of Son of God. Rodrigo Garcia gives only the portrait of a strange meet of Jesus with a family. few riddles and dialogues and slow action and enigmatic facts. each- far by a religious film. or a coherent story. a riddle. like the riddles of the boy. in fact, only a challenge. puzzle of discreet cultural references from the roof of the Temple to Abraham and Last Temptation, from Pasolini to Paradjanov. a film of gestures and looks. maybe, a poem. ignoring Resurrection. because the Resurrection is the duty of the viewer. perfect subject of debates and controversies, it propose a new, interesting and far to be uninspired portrait of the Savior. Ewan McGregor gives a not comfortable Jesus but one who impress for the honest manner to remind old truths who are , in too many occasions, insignificant. a poem about the small things who defines the life. and nothing more.

-mild spoilers ahead- Last Days In The Desert is a stark, desolate looking film. It has a quiet and beautifully shot atmosphere that I really liked.

In the story, Jesus goes into the desert for self-reflection, to come across a family living there in the middle of nowhere. He's tempted to stick around rather than continue with his seemingly hopeless, one-way conversation with God. All the while, being harassed by Satan, in the form of Jesus himself.

Here is my biggest gripe with the film, and many other movies related to Christians. The writers stack the deck completely against any pious protagonist, Jesus being the case here. Satan constantly lectures Jesus, sowing seeds of doubt, always coming out ahead in their rhetorical matches of one-upmanship. Jesus barely replies to anything, and when he does, it's just to eek out some passive comment. There is essentially nothing written for him. Despite being a self-admitted liar, Satan's stories are given quite a bit of credence by the length of screen time they get and the tepid response from the Son of God. I've seen this in many Hollywood, Christian films, and it seems to be the go-to method of backhanding the religion. I do understand this is (fictionally) supposed to show a green Jesus trying to figure out God's purpose and how to convey His message, but fer cryin' out loud, he can barely hold a conversation. Just lost in thought.

There is an interesting parallel going of between the dysfunctional father-son relationship of the desert family and Jesus' own relationship with his Father. That's fine. I just wish they gave Jesus a voice in his own movie.

There is an exchange of dialog in this film where Ewan McGregor's character asks another character in the story, "Why do you live in the desert?" and the answer comes back "Because the desert is ruthless ... it strips away all pretense ... it makes you see yourself for who you are."

Now, going into this film I was a little concerned that it was part of the New Wave of faith-based films. Don't get me wrong. I have reviewed several of those, and some are very well done. But what each faith-based film has in common is that it seems at first like a regular film ... and then gets a little odd. Not saying that is a bad thing. But it is odd.

This film starts with a certain tone and stays true to that tone for the entire run time. It never gets odd. For this reason I do not consider it a faith-based film but a true creative work that is is both brilliant and powerful.

The premise is simple -- can you focus on just a few days of one of the most inspirational figures in modern religion (fictionally)and, by the microcosm of those few days, achieve the flavor and the raw emotion of the entire life of that same character?

It is a daunting goal but I think McGregor and Garcia pull it off. To appreciate this film you need to start with no expectations and then get drawn into the film much the same way the central character allows himself to get drawn into the desert. Almost like a meditation, if you like.

In the right mindset this film is like the desert in the quote above. For a brief moment it allows you to see yourself for who you are.

Recommended.

I liked this more than a lot of critics and friends, finding a gentle poetic power in some of the sequences, and appreciating the humanness of this simple telling as the end of Jesus' 40 days in the desert before he returned to civilization to face challenges and death.

Devoid of demands the audience believe in a literal way, I could be more open the exploration of complexities of faith and spiritual ethics that challenge everyone, even the son of god. I particularly liked the scenes where Ewen McGregor plays both Jesus and Satan, debating – among other things - the nature of God, and whether He is essentially good, or an over-controlling ego-maniac. McGregor does a lovely job separating the two characters with subtle touches like vocal rhythms and a different glint in the eye (there's no attempt to make the look different, signifying perhaps that the Devil is indeed an inevitable part of all humans, including this holy one).

On the other hand, the main story line created for the film – Jesus getting caught up in the domestic troubles of a dysfunctional desert family – is more uneven. There are indeed touching scenes, and it was refreshing to see a biblical story where Jesus can't simply bring happiness to this angry father, dying mother and alienated son with a wise word or a wave of his hand. On the other hand, at times it feels simply too prosaic, too small scale and too familiar. I think that's part of the point. Basic human struggle has changed very little in 2,000 years. But it also led to the occasional cringe-worthy moment, as when Jesus councils the father about the wayward son; 'talk to him about something he's interested in', sounding more like a friendly neighbor or basketball coach than the son of God. More important it wasn't clear (at least to me) how Jesus' encounter with this family effects his thinking or perceptions about his own difficult relationship with his own Father or terrifying fate going forward. What does he know or understand now that he didn't before?

Last, the film steals a key last minute twist from another cinematic version of the Christ tale, and I was distracted by the imitation.

In the end this was sort of a split decision. My mind found many faults with the film, some serious, but my heart was touched and involved.