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Mary Magdalene
2018 120 min Australia, Italy, United Kingdom, United States of America R 0+
★5.8
Drama
Director: Garth Davis
Trailers
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Description
In the first century, free-spirited Mary Magdalene flees the marriage her family has arranged for her, finding refuge and a sense of purpose in a radical new movement led by the charismatic, rabble-rousing preacher named Jesus.
Budget:
$20M
US Gross:
$124,741
Worldwide:
$11.71M
Starring
Rooney Mara
Actor
Joaquin Phoenix
Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 5 nominations total
Key opinion
Mary Magdalene is a visually atmospheric and contemplative film that sharply divides audiences and critics over its feminist revisionist approach to biblical history. While some praise the nuanced performances of Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix as well as the film's deliberate pacing, others find the narrative disjointed, the characterizations hollow, and the modern gender-focused lens poorly integrated into the traditional gospel framework.
| Acting | Rooney Mara delivers a magnetic and soulful performance that anchors the film's intent to elevate Magdalene as a central spiritual figure. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively utilizes modest lighting and a restrained aesthetic to create a visually striking and parable-like experience. | |
| Pacing | The film’s pacing is highly polarizing; some viewers appreciate its meditative, slow-burn tempo, while others find it tedious, plotless, and lacking narrative flow. | |
| Theme | The integration of modern feminist themes feels either like a courageous and necessary re-centering of women's historical roles or a clumsy, shallow, and anachronistic imposition on the gospel narrative. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for empty dialogue, unexplained character motivations, and a failure to provide a coherent philosophical or historical anchor for its non-canonical choices. |