Mary Magdalene Parent Guide

“What think ye of Christ?” Jesus asked his followers. This question has echoed for centuries and has received numerous answers – Son of God, Savior, Risen Lord, teacher, itinerant preacher, political revolutionary. Mary Magdalene, follower of Christ, has also been seen from varied perspectives. Traditionally (and inaccurately) portrayed as a prostitute, Mary was declared by the Vatican in 2016 to be “apostle of the apostles”, one who proclaims the “joyful central message of Easter”. In Mary Magdalene, director Garth Davis hews much closer to the latter perspective, presenting a spiritually sensitive Mary, confidante to a feminist Jesus. Whether or not audiences enjoy this movie will depend to a great extent on how they feel about this and other extra-canonical changes.

Viewers familiar with the New Testament will note that the screenwriters put their own slant on the characters and events. Joaquin Phoenix’s Jesus is burdened and uncertain, drained by his healing miracles, the endless expectations of others, and premonitions of his imminent death. Peter (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is a strategizer, worried about how Jesus is seen by others in life and about establishing a stable church (without female influence) after his death. And Judas (Tahar Rahim) enjoys a significant amount of whitewashing: instead of being a duplicitous traitor, he is transformed into a disillusioned would-be revolutionary. But the biggest change goes to Mary Magdalene herself. The Gospels provide only fragmentary glimpses of Mary Magdalene, depicting her as the beneficiary of a healing by Jesus and later as a witness of his trial and crucifixion. She is also acknowledged as the first witness of the risen Christ. But in this movie, Mary functions as an additional apostle. She baptizes and gives blessings to women, she provides consolation to a weary Jesus, and she is the first of his followers to truly grasp his teachings about the kingdom of God, later sharing her insights with the less-than-receptive apostles.

Luckily, Rooney Mara shines in her portrayal of this woman and her spiritual quest. Mara somehow manages to appear translucent, as if light is shining through her eyes and her porcelain-clear skin. She is able to be still and to let that stillness expand to soothe others and to fill the screen. It is thanks to her that the film works at all. Unfortunately, Joaquin Phoenix is a less satisfactory Jesus. He mumbles, chews on his words, staggers about, and makes ambiguous comments that keep his apostles in a state of confusion. His powerful teachings receive short shrift and his miracles get pride of place in the screenplay. But even the miracles aren’t shown accurately. The writers make so many changes to events that there isn’t space to describe them all here. But there is no reason to mash together the story of the raising of Lazarus with the raising of the son of the widow of Nain. The film is also deliberately ambiguous about the nature of Christ’s resurrection – with no one verbally asserting whether it is a literal or spiritual resurrection.

In terms of content issues, this movie gets a mixed grade on handling violence – some conflict not found in scripture is included as is canonically correct material such as the crucifixion. Fortunately, none of the violence is gratuitous and even the crucifixion is not treated in detail, but Christ’s bloody body is seen carrying the cross and later nailed to it. The Restricted rating is unnecessary: while Mary Magdalene is too gory for children, it is certainly suitable for older teens.

That being said, this isn’t a bad film, although it’s not a great one either. It is likely that progressive and feminist Christians will enjoy it and more traditional Christians will be unhappy with the many changes made to the Biblical accounts. Whether or not audiences agree with this movie’s perspective on Mary Magdalene, it provides a powerful example of discipleship which can profitably be studied by Christians of any persuasion.