Eloi, Eloi, lema sbachthani
2004-03-06

Last night I had the option of seeing a play, go to a party or catch Christ�s celluloid crucifixion.

Ah, choices, choices.

After much deliberation I chose Mel Gibson�s interpretation of what happened during the last days of Jesus� life. The Passion of the Christ certainly merits the controversy it�s causing.

The film is in Aramaic and Latin; both are, in all practicality, dead languages. For all I know, the actors might have just spoken gibberish, but the fact that Gibson�s Jesus does not speak English is refreshing and creative. I hated having to read the subtitles, though.

The Passion focuses on the last hours of Jesus� life � Judas� betrayal, Christ�s capture by the Jews, his torture by the Romans and finally, the bloody crucifixion.

A Jewish friend refused to see the film, so adamant was she that the movie is anti-Semitic. I have to say I agree. A person watching the movie would be tempted to hate the Jews. Truth be told, Passion isn�t the most politically correct of movies.

The film has been criticized for not being historically accurate. Well, it�s a Hollywood production, and Tinseltown has never been a stickler when it comes to historical accuracy. One point in question � Veronica and the Shroud of Turin; in the Catholic tradition, she used her shroud to wipe Christ�s bloody face, and his image was imprinted by some holy force onto the cloth. It is considered by many Christians to be a myth, but again, whatever.

The fact that the film assumes that the viewer is familiar with Christianity might turn non-Christian viewers off. I was lucky in the sense that I knew bits and pieces of the Crucifixion and Resurrection through the books I read. Plus, I watched the movie with Christian friends who were kind enough to explain some of the things I didn�t really know about. Another viewer without these aids would probably go �Huh?� a few times during the film.

Another thing that really bugged me was the fact that Jesus looked too European. In an archaeology class, a professor of mine mentioned that Jesus would probably have been of Arabic/Jewish descent, with average build and a probable height of 5� 5�. Jim Caviezel who played Jesus of Nazareth in the film, is 6� ++, light-skinned with light brown eyes.
But oh well. It�s Hollywood. Jesus just had to be hot in a Hollywood production.

If you�re the squeamish type, be warned; Passion is spectacularly violent. I was cringing constantly throughout the movie. The sadism really got to me; I was so tense for the whole duration of the film I walked out of the cinema with muscle cramps.

It made me cry. When Mary, or Maryam, if you wish, hesitated for a split second before going to her bloody son, I couldn�t stop the tears from trickling. Imagine how bad the persecution is if even your mother has doubts to go to your rescue. I even heard sniffles coming from Mr. J who was sitting right next to me. Heh.

My heart broke when the Romans nailed Christ�s feet to the crucifix, and he prays to his cruel god,

"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

Would you be able to do that � pray for your enemies as they bludgeon you?

Right before the end as his faith cracks, he cries

"Eloi, Eloi, lema sbachthani"

�God, God, why have you forsaken me?�

I�m not sure what actually happened next, you�d have to consult the Bible on that, but I�m pretty sure Jesus redeemed his faith before he died.

Sigh.

Oh yeah, Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene was hot.
Err� is that blasphemous?

On a more serious note, I anticipated the film to be educational, but I didn�t expect it to be a minor religious experience.
No, I�m not thinking of joining the Christian faith.
In fact, I think the movie made me more an Islamist than before.

Personally, I think Gibson exaggerated the violence in the film to appeal to the viewer�s sympathies, but even if the real Jesus, or Isa, was tortured half as bad as he was on the big screen, it would still be too much for an ordinary man.

And to think, he went through all that just so he could bring Light and Truth to humankind. It made me rethink my position on religion.

But then again, what kind of God would be so harsh to Its "Chosen One", when It has all the power in the world to save the poor man?

Oh well.

You guys have a great Sunday.