Blog Marcos L. Mucheroni Filosofia, Noosfera e cibercultura

The first important observation about the film Virgin Mary, directed by D. J. Caruso (he was also the director of Love of Redemption) and scripted by Timothy Michael Hayes, is that it is not a theological biblical narrative and therefore cannot be seen as an apology for Mary, mother of Jesus (more than 11 million views already).

Virgin Mary portrays the faith and courage of Mary and Joseph, fleeing to Egypt to save the newborn Jesus in the persecution that King Herod, played by Anthony Hopkins, inflicts on all newborns when he learns that the Messiah promised to the Jewish people has been born.

The speculations about Mary’s childhood and attitudes cannot be seen in the light of the biblical narrative either, but it is important to note that she is not ignored and is venerated in the Bible, both by the angel Gabriel, and if anyone doubts Mary’s importance, just read chapter 1 of Luke, one of the longest, it is all about the birth of Jesus, but especially verses 42-43 (there are several translations) where her cousin Elizabeth greets her: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Where does this honor come from, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”.

Having cleared up the problem of the biblical narrative where there is no doubt about Mary’s importance in salvation history, let’s move on to the secular criticisms of the film, curiously one of which is Joseph’s age, even though we find the narrative about him being old, it’s not clear either from a cultural point of view (what was old at the time would probably be old) or from a cultural point of view, although we find the narrative about being old, it’s not clear either from a cultural point of view (what was old at the time was probably between 30 and 40) or from a religious point of view, there is no biblical reference, it’s just a tradition.

The choice of Maria, actress Noa Cohen, has also been criticized for being Israeli, due to the current political climate, but the director clarified that the choice, among several interviews, was immediate and it should be noted that Noa’s darker skin tone was predominant at the time of Jesus.

The idea of deconstructing the biblical narrative because of the nationality of the characters goes far beyond the problem of today’s war, which is undoubtedly cruel because it affects people and not the political, religious or ideological issues that are involved – this was the stance of both the Roman Empire and the Pharisees, the false religionists of that time.

As it’s a fictional movie, the critics should focus on the actors’ performances, the costumes and the plot. I personally liked the movie, but I believe that the religious problems with Mary and the political ones can hinder the appreciation of an artistic work.