The age-old biblical story of Jesus Christ and his journey to spread his biblical message has been told time and again on the big screen. From Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ to Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, but Mary Magdalene has always cowered in the shadows as one of history’s most misunderstood women. Finally, in Lion director, Garth Davis’s Mary Magdalene, this ill-treated woman finally has her story told which rightfully removes her from the role of the prostitute and firmly stands her ground as an Apostle.
Read our review of Mary Magdalene here
Mary Magdalene is an authentic and humanistic portrait of one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood spiritual figures in history. The biblical biopic tells the story of Mary (Rooney Mara), a young woman in search of a new way of living. Constricted by the hierarchies of the day, Mary defies her traditional family to join a new social movement led by the charismatic Jesus of Nazareth (Joaquin Phoenix). She soon finds a place for herself within the movement and at the heart of a journey that will lead to Jerusalem.
We spoke to the film’s director Garth Davis about his spiritual journey making the film and how after reading the script, although just coming off the back of making Lion, he wanted to jump straight in. Why after working with Rooney Mara on Lion made her the perfect choice to play the role of Mary, casting Joaquin Phoenix to play Jesus of Nazareth and finding the most authentic location to transport us back to Jesus’ time.
Mary Magdalene is out in cinemas March 16th
