The Carpenter Parent Guide

At one time, Hollywood spent its biggest money and finest talent on Bible epics like The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur, but more recently, the overall quality of religion-oriented entertainment has been lower. That’s why I went to see The Carpenter with low expectations. Sadly, those expectations were met.

The Carpenter stars Kameron Krebs as Oren, a man living in ancient Cana who, in the company of his brother Levi (Kaulin Krebs) makes much of his living as a fighter. After his dying adoptive father tells Oren to “find peace in Nazareth,” he makes the acquaintance of a carpenter called Yeshua (Jeff Dickamore) which, as you’re probably aware, is the Hebraic version of the name Jesus. Oren’s mother wants him to be a farmer, and his uncle (Daz Crawford) wants him to continue developing as a fighter, but this newfound friend invites Oren to follow him and become a carpenter. He becomes Yeshua’s apprentice, but strangely still has plenty of time for training and fighting.

The film’s story arc seems to be that of Oren struggling against his nature to become a selfless follower of Jesus. But this arc is hard to detect and hard to follow, not least because Krebs’ acting performance is flat; there’s one mode and one mood. This is also a script problem: It’s not clear what peace Oren seeks in Nazareth, because he doesn’t appear to be in turmoil. It’s hard to see him abandon anger because he shows little of it to begin with. On the rare occasions when he shows strong emotion, the moment comes out of nowhere and goes nowhere.

The Carpenter offers a wild mix of inexplicable accents and a wilder mix of anachronisms: Most characters, including Yeshua and love interest Mira (Aurora Florence) are apparently trying for an unspecifically—and unconvincingly—foreign sound (though Liverpudlian actor Daz Crawford ends up sounding rather Scottish). But Oren and Levi, unlike their own parents, sound entirely American, and I don’t mean in a general, timeless way: I mean it’s hard to imagine them coming from any time other than now or any place other than the USA. Expressions like “hi,” “dad,” “gotta git goin’,” “yeah,” and “OK” detract from any period feel the filmmakers may have aimed for.

Apparently they didn’t aim hard, though. The story also includes fights that are indistinguishable from modern mixed martial arts combat and contain all the tropes of a modern boxing match. There are Rocky-like workout sequences including jumping rope, weightlifting, and battle ropes, with little effort to look ancient, as well as a lot of interpersonal conduct and conversation that are incompatible with Middle Eastern manners of the time. And there’s a modern-looking dove logo that appears in various works of carpentry including the table at the Last Supper.

Trying to imagine the writer’s room for this movie, I picture a cluster of frustrated Christian pastors saying, “Now how can we get those young men to listen to all these sermons? What if we throw in a fight scene every time we give one?” And that’s just what we get: A formula of a slight plot development, a loving sermon from Yeshua, and another fight. The big “Jerusalem Invitational” (yes, they really call it that) is Oren’s Ben-Hur in the chariot moment, but it bears little relationship to his character development, of which there isn’t much.

The Carpenter is a sweet movie, a harmless movie, a well-intended movie, a movie that contains some wonderful messages. But I can’t call it a good movie from an artistic standpoint. If you do watch it, focus on those sermonettes from Yeshua, and be ready to suspend a lot of disbelief.