No movie this year has generated as much talk as Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ.
Released on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, the movie depicts Christ’s last hours on earth, from His betrayal at the hands of Judas, one of his 12 apostles, to His crucifixion. Gibson, a devout Catholic, directed and produced the film, which has taken in hundreds of millions of dollars and provoked passionate debate about the movie.
Earlier this month, I went with a group of friends from a church singles group to see the film. During the movie, you could hear a pin drop, because everyone was seemingly transfixed by the movie. To be honest, I had to close my eyes a couple of times because of the intense violence.
After the movie, we were all gathered outside the theater, and everyone just stood there in silence for a few moments. There was no attempt at idle conversation — everyone was that moved by the film. Even when going out to dinner afterward, it was tough for everyone to unwind at first.
Recently, I talked about the film with The Citizen editor David Fleet. David contended people should accept the Gospel message of Christ’s passion on faith, and shouldn’t need a movie to reinforce that message.
Perhaps for some people, reading and listening to the Gospel account of those events is enough. However, Gibson took great pains to stay true to the Gospel in making the film, so those people who have not seen the movie yet, and are concerned about the film’s authenticity, need not worry.
Besides, the movie serves a valuable purpose in graphically depicting the depth of Christ’s suffering. In this helter-skelter world of ours, it’s hard, even when attending church on a regular basis and reading the Bible, to comprehend how much Christ suffered to pay the price for our sins.
That’s where The Passion of the Christ comes into play. Yes, the film is graphic and violent, but there’s a reason for that — because the way Christ was treated during His passion was brutal and horrific. By seeing for themselves how Christ suffered, that message hits home that much more for Christians.
An analogy can be made to the violence in the movie Saving Private Ryan. The battle scene at the beginning of that film was horrific and unpleasant to watch — but it was supposed to be that way to convey the brutality of war.
It is heartening to see the movie do as well as it has. It shows there is a market for moviegoers who may be disillusioned at what Hollywood has to offer these days. Gibson took a great risk in making the movie, willing to suffer the scorn of mainstream Hollywood to make a movie based on something in which he passionately believes.
Certainly, people should use discretion in going to the film, as they should with any film that contains a lot of violence. In particular, younger children should be accompanied by their parents if they want to attend the movie.
However, seeing the film is an incredibly moving experience, and leaves a lasting impact.