The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story is the anti-Christmas movie of the season. That's not to say that it's against Christmas, but rather it's the complete opposite of what just about every other Christmas movie is. Whereas most holiday films are bright, colorful, frantic, hyper, shallow pieces of feel-good fluff that leave you feeling like you've eaten too much sugar, The Nativity Story is gentle, understated, deep and thought-provoking; it will prod you to really consider why you celebrate Christmas and whether or not you really understand what it (the holidays, life, our purpose) is truly about.
As with any movie that uses scripture as the inspiration for a story, there's bound to be a lot of skepticism from both sides about the quality of said movie. Well, those who hold the Bible to be dear and sacred, and who might have been concerned that the movie would not treat the source material with reverence can rest easy. The Nativity Story is very respectful of the Bible, with much of the dialogue coming straight from scripture. It helps bring to life familar passages with beautiful portrayals of events depicted in scripture. It literally fleshes out the story, and challenges one to think of those familar scriptures in a new light. As for those who think the Bible is a crusty collection of old wives tales and any movie based on its stories are bound to be cheesy and lame can also rest easy. The makers of The Nativity Story were smart enough to know that liberties have to be taken when translating a book to screen in order to make a good movie; and that's no different with the Bible. This is a well made movie that presents some intriguing insights as to what may have happened between the lines of what we're told in scripture.
That's not to say this movie isn't without its flaws. Unfortunately, some of the “Bible movie� stigma seeps into the dialogue where actors mistake reverent and holy sounding with stiff, emotionless and awkward sounding. In fact, one of the weakest links of the film is its portrayal of Mary. I say its "portrayal" because I don't think that the performance is necessarily the problem. Keshia Castle-Hughes is a talented actress, and I'm sure she did the best with what she was given to work with. While there are some shining moments where we get to see Mary as an actual, real human being, most of the time she's so reserved that she feels more like an unapproachable, stoic figure. I'm sure the filmmakers wanted to be careful not to step on anyone's toes in how they portrayed Mary, but they have erred too far on the side of caution and made Mary both uninteresting (hard to believe) and boring (which I think ismuch more offensive than being "too human").
However, despite these weak links, there's a lot in this movie that's excellent. Oscar Issac brings a life and depth to person of Joseph that makes him one of the highlights of the film. It's fascinating to watch this man struggle with the unimaginable; that he will be a surrogate father to God in the flesh. Little is written in the Bible about Joseph, but much of how he reacts and thinks and feels in this movie rings so true that it isn't hard to imagine that this is probably very close to what that man was like. The Wise Men are also a bright spot in the film, bringing some much needed levity and adding an outsiders perspective to one of the most amazing events in all of history. Indeed, the Wise Men are central to one of my favorite scenes; as they arrive where Jesus was born, we see them try to come to terms with the fact that they are in fact seeing God in the form of a small baby. The gamut of conflicting emotions that's silently portrayed on their faces perfectly reflects what we would probably all go through if we really stopped and considered the implications of God being in the flesh as a baby. It's a priceless scene that chokes me up every time.
In fact, I got choked up far more in this film than I ever did during The Passion of the Christ. That may be because I have a heart of stone, but I think it's more likely that while I could readily tell that my emotions were purposely being manipulated to reflect a certain mood in The Passion, The Nativity Story moves in such subtle, sublime ways that you may find yourself tearing up without really knowing why. This is where it succeeds and so many other Christmas films fail. Without having to brazenly blast its audience with some trivial message about the meaning of Christmas surrounded by lights, elves, and hyperactivity, The Nativity Story gently causes us to pause and reflect on the quiet side of Christmas. It takes a moment to softly point out that two thousand years ago, just as it often does today, the real purpose of Christmas was missed by all but a handful of sheppards, a few wise men, an unsure young father, and a frightened but faithful young woman. With constant noise of the latest high-tech, high-def gifts to buy, the great sales happening througout the holidays, the noisy competition at the box office to thrill and wow audiences, it can be extremely hard to focus on the fact the core of Christmas is a small, quiet moment that changed the world forever.
Although The Nativity Story is obviously targeted towards Christians as it doesn’t give a lot of background on events and assumes that viewers are familiar with the story already, it’s a film that holds meaning for any who will view. During the Christmas season, that’s a rare gift indeed as so many people want more than anything to simply find meaning; for the holidays, and for their lives. The answer to that desire was provided in the form a baby, born in the lowest place imaginable, surrounded by unremarkable people, unnoticed by the world at large. This is what The Nativity Story and ultimately the Christmas story is truly all about; and if you're willing, it can also be what the story of your life is all about as well.
As with any movie that uses scripture as the inspiration for a story, there's bound to be a lot of skepticism from both sides about the quality of said movie. Well, those who hold the Bible to be dear and sacred, and who might have been concerned that the movie would not treat the source material with reverence can rest easy. The Nativity Story is very respectful of the Bible, with much of the dialogue coming straight from scripture. It helps bring to life familar passages with beautiful portrayals of events depicted in scripture. It literally fleshes out the story, and challenges one to think of those familar scriptures in a new light. As for those who think the Bible is a crusty collection of old wives tales and any movie based on its stories are bound to be cheesy and lame can also rest easy. The makers of The Nativity Story were smart enough to know that liberties have to be taken when translating a book to screen in order to make a good movie; and that's no different with the Bible. This is a well made movie that presents some intriguing insights as to what may have happened between the lines of what we're told in scripture.
That's not to say this movie isn't without its flaws. Unfortunately, some of the “Bible movie� stigma seeps into the dialogue where actors mistake reverent and holy sounding with stiff, emotionless and awkward sounding. In fact, one of the weakest links of the film is its portrayal of Mary. I say its "portrayal" because I don't think that the performance is necessarily the problem. Keshia Castle-Hughes is a talented actress, and I'm sure she did the best with what she was given to work with. While there are some shining moments where we get to see Mary as an actual, real human being, most of the time she's so reserved that she feels more like an unapproachable, stoic figure. I'm sure the filmmakers wanted to be careful not to step on anyone's toes in how they portrayed Mary, but they have erred too far on the side of caution and made Mary both uninteresting (hard to believe) and boring (which I think ismuch more offensive than being "too human").
However, despite these weak links, there's a lot in this movie that's excellent. Oscar Issac brings a life and depth to person of Joseph that makes him one of the highlights of the film. It's fascinating to watch this man struggle with the unimaginable; that he will be a surrogate father to God in the flesh. Little is written in the Bible about Joseph, but much of how he reacts and thinks and feels in this movie rings so true that it isn't hard to imagine that this is probably very close to what that man was like. The Wise Men are also a bright spot in the film, bringing some much needed levity and adding an outsiders perspective to one of the most amazing events in all of history. Indeed, the Wise Men are central to one of my favorite scenes; as they arrive where Jesus was born, we see them try to come to terms with the fact that they are in fact seeing God in the form of a small baby. The gamut of conflicting emotions that's silently portrayed on their faces perfectly reflects what we would probably all go through if we really stopped and considered the implications of God being in the flesh as a baby. It's a priceless scene that chokes me up every time.
In fact, I got choked up far more in this film than I ever did during The Passion of the Christ. That may be because I have a heart of stone, but I think it's more likely that while I could readily tell that my emotions were purposely being manipulated to reflect a certain mood in The Passion, The Nativity Story moves in such subtle, sublime ways that you may find yourself tearing up without really knowing why. This is where it succeeds and so many other Christmas films fail. Without having to brazenly blast its audience with some trivial message about the meaning of Christmas surrounded by lights, elves, and hyperactivity, The Nativity Story gently causes us to pause and reflect on the quiet side of Christmas. It takes a moment to softly point out that two thousand years ago, just as it often does today, the real purpose of Christmas was missed by all but a handful of sheppards, a few wise men, an unsure young father, and a frightened but faithful young woman. With constant noise of the latest high-tech, high-def gifts to buy, the great sales happening througout the holidays, the noisy competition at the box office to thrill and wow audiences, it can be extremely hard to focus on the fact the core of Christmas is a small, quiet moment that changed the world forever.
Although The Nativity Story is obviously targeted towards Christians as it doesn’t give a lot of background on events and assumes that viewers are familiar with the story already, it’s a film that holds meaning for any who will view. During the Christmas season, that’s a rare gift indeed as so many people want more than anything to simply find meaning; for the holidays, and for their lives. The answer to that desire was provided in the form a baby, born in the lowest place imaginable, surrounded by unremarkable people, unnoticed by the world at large. This is what The Nativity Story and ultimately the Christmas story is truly all about; and if you're willing, it can also be what the story of your life is all about as well.
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