I saw the Passion of the Christ this weekend, and it had a profound impact on me. I'm still assimilating it, really. I had read all the reviews, and had prepared myself for the worst: 2 hours of non-stop gore and violence. I actually walked into the theatre with a sense of dread, of not really wanting to watch this movie, but knowing deep in my heart that I had to. However, given all the reviews, it was not what I had expected. At all. It's like we were watching completely different movies.
Despite, or perhaps because of the controversy, it appears to have done very well by the world's standards. It even beat out Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace for top 5-day opening, coming in second overall behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Not bad for a religious movie, rejected by all the major distributors, released during what is known to be the dryest time for movie releases, subtitled, shot in two dead languages, and where everyone already knows how it ends. No, the Holy Spirit didn't inspire this movie at all :) Of course, the true way to judge this movie is not by how much money it rakes in, but how many hearts it touches.
First of all, some comments on discussions I have had with people who have not seen the movie, and either don't plan to/don't want to/aren't sure. This is not a movie that you can hope to understand until you have seen it. I can tell you about parts of it, I can tell you how it affected me, but you will never understand it until you experience it.
I had even heard from some Christians that, based on the reviews, they don't want to 'put themselves through' watching two hours of Christ's crucifixion. To which I ask: If you believe that Jesus died for you and for your sins, if you believe that He
endured this suffering and death to pay for your wrongs, then, upon reflection, how can you say that you can't bear to *watch* it? Let me say this again: He endured it for twelve hours, you watch it for two hours. Is that really asking so much?
I won't lie: there were parts that I could not bear to see. I closed my eyes at one point during the scourging. Do I think that Mel went overboard? No. He did his research, and guess what? Crucifixions are not pretty. I think that we Christians, myself included, have this rose-coloured view of the crucifixion: sure he was whipped, yeah he had to carry this large wooden cross, was nailed to it, and then died for our sins. La dee da. Now that unpleasantness in dealt with, here is out darling little children's choir, singing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, because the Bible tells me so."
This movie causes us to confront the reality of what it meant for Jesus to die on the cross. And it's not pretty. Would you expect it to be?
Critics complain that this movie is about violence, not love. Again, I think they were watching a completely different movie. In a flashback (which the movie is full with, provided just at moments when you can't bear to watch anymore) Jesus tells his disciplines that there is no greater love than one who lays down his life for his friends. That's what this is about; but its even more than that. Jesus is not only laying his life down for His friends, but for His enemies as well. When the guards are whipping him with the cat-o-nine-tails, Jesus' blood splashes on them and their clothes ... which evokes the cleansing image from Revelation 7:15 "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb"
The symbolism was breathtaking. I'm not much for understanding symbolism at all, but I got this: during the actual crucifixion, the flashbacks went to the last supper. As Jesus is being stripped of his garments, it flashes to the unwrapping of the bread. When Jesus is raised up on the cross, it flashes to Jesus blessing the bread and raises it up. It's almost like going to Mass (but not quite, Mass is much better :P ) Three cheers for the Eucharist!
I loved Mary; I loved the flashback scene of Jesus making a table, playfully spashing her and the kissing her on the cheek. Watching the relationship of Jesus with his mother meant so much to me. I loved the resurrection at the end, because without the resurrection, Christianity is nothing. I loved Mary Magdalene and John, I loved Simon of Cyrene and Veronica. I especially loved the part where Pilate addresses Jesus in really halting Aramaic, and Jesus responds back in perfect Latin.
I pretty much cried the whole way through, so it was good that someone brought an extra kleenex box for me (yes, box. I shared it with another girl, between the two of us we nearly finished it) I started tearing up during the agony in the garden, which surprised me (didn't expect the waterworks so quickly, this was barely 3 minutes in). By the time that Jesus meets Mary (fourth station of the cross, over an hour in) I was all-out crying. But it didn't take away from my ability to watch.
My overall thoughts: This is not a movie, it is a masterpiece. I highly recommend seeing it, if you have already heard and understand the Gospels. Despite what many are hoping, I do not believe that this movie will be a tool to evangelize those who have never heard the Christian message; it relies heavily on the assumption that you already know the story. And to accept it. If you do not believe that God became Man to die for your sins, this will likely be 2 hours of violence and gore. Which is pretty much what all the critics said.
That's not to say that you need to be a 'believer' to see or appreciate the movie; it can (and has) open dialogue about many other aspects that the movie touches: the meaning of suffering, and the depth of evil that the human race has wrought on itself.
It has opened up doors for interfaith dialog, which is always good.
I have often heard (and believe) that "If I was the only sinner on earth, Christ still would have come and died for me" He died for everybody, but he also died for me, personally. Going to Mass the next day was a profound experience. During Mass, I thought about parts of the movie and all I could think was, "I don't understand. This doesn't make sense. Why did He endure that for me? I don't deserve that kind of sacrifice. I'm not worthy of it. I don't understand. I don't understand." After receiving communion, insight came to me: I don't have to understand, I just have to accept.
