Passion of the Christ

Silence.
Silence except for the cushioned plodding of slow footsteps as an emotionally drained audience left the theatre.
That was the reaction of the audience after The Passion of the Christ ended. No one commenting, no one talking... in fact, everyone very quietly stood up and left after the final credits, rather than the normal rush of banging seats and stomping up the aisles.

Well, the reviews are definitely right - this is a movie about Jesus getting the shit beat out of him. Pardon the language, but really, that is the only way to describe it. I sat in tears for the whole movie at the inhumanity and awfulness of it. How anyone can treat another human being in that manner, in any age, is beyond me.

What I don't understand is why on earth people are whining about this being anti-Semitic. What??? Sure the Jewish council wanted him crucified in the movie, but it was the Romans who perpetuated the unthinkable violence. Not being very familiar with my bible (or the Jewish religion or history for that matter), I don't know whether this is a fair or accurate portrayal of the people in power at the time. I didn't feel it was anti-Semitic in the least though.

While the story line is simple (it's Jesus' last day on earth) I think this movie has extremely powerful imagery, and it captures the 'heart' of human nature - although in this instance 'heart' is the epitome of an oxymoron. This movie does an incredible job of showing how people behave under the influence of power. Whether that be the fear of losing power, or the inability to do anything because of lack of power. Every character in the film behaved in a very human way - even Peter who "denies Christ three times". In that situation, self-preservation would prevail for most individuals. This movie captured true human behaviour even though it is shocking or dismaying - and that is what makes this such a powerful movie.

Admittedly, I'm a bit shell-shocked from the level of graphic violence. How did that movie only get a PG-12 rating here in Japan?? Definitely a movie for contemplation. Definitely emotionally draining. Definitely a bold move from Mel Gibson that should be applauded.