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Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene

Movie · 2018 · 14 people

Garth Davis directed Mary Magdalene (released in Turkey as Magdalalı Meryem), a 2018 biblical biographical drama. An English-language US, UK and Australian co-production of about two hours, backed by Film4 Productions and FilmNation Entertainment, it retells Mary's story through a feminist reading that draws on both the Bible and apocryphal texts. It premiered at the National Gallery in London on February 26, 2018 and reached British cinemas on March 16, 2018, but only opened in the United States on April 12, 2019.

Set in the Holy Land of the first century, the story follows Mary, a young woman from a small fishing village with a traditional family, as she leaves the limits imposed on her in search of a new life. She joins the movement of Jesus, a charismatic leader, and follows his teaching to Jerusalem, ending up at the heart of the birth of Christianity. Rooney Mara plays Mary, Joaquin Phoenix is Jesus, Chiwetel Ejiofor is Peter and Tahar Rahim is Judas, with Lubna Azabal, Hadas Yaron and Shira Haas also in the cast.

The screenplay is by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett. The score, made with Hildur Guðnadóttir, was the last film music the Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson finished before his death.

DirectorGarth Davis
Production companyFilm4 Productions

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Cast

Only cast members with a profile on this site are listed.

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal Actor · 53 years old Şira Has Hadas Yaron Rooney Mara Joaquin Phoenix Chiwetel Ejiofor Sarah-Sofie Boussnina Charles Babalola Ryan Corr Tahar Rahim Lior Raz Tawfeek Barhom Uri Gavriel Tsahi Halevi

Through different eyes

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Garth Davis chooses to tell a familiar story not from the usual viewpoint but through Mary's eyes, and that is the script's boldest decision. Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett's screenplay leans on silence and inner life, which makes the film thoughtful but slow. The score Jóhann Jóhannsson made with Hildur Guðnadóttir carries extra weight as the last film music the composer finished, and it shoulders much of the atmosphere. The weak spot is pacing: over its roughly two hours, the dramatic tension sags in places. Bringing Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix together is an ambitious pairing, but the film tests them with quiet moments rather than big scenes.

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film retells the story of Mary Magdalene through a feminist reading that draws on both the Bible and apocryphal texts. That sets it apart from an ordinary religious adaptation: at its centre are the limits placed on a woman in a traditional family in a small fishing village in the first-century Holy Land. Mary's search for a new path beyond those limits is what the film says both about its period and about today. Not everyone will be equally pleased with this interpretation; some believers may find such a free reading of scripture contentious. Even so, it is one of the rare films that try to see the birth of a religion through a woman's experience.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

Because it is a religious story, some families will think about watching it together. The subject is handled in a calm, respectful way, but the film is slow and long, and small children may get bored. Also worth knowing: the story is built on an interpretation that differs from the classic telling. In religious households the grandparents should know this in advance. It is a good one to watch and discuss with teenagers.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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