The Young Messiah

Inspirational films are and have been, of late, fashionable to see probably because of the crazy world in which we live. The stress, sickness, financial downfall, unemployment, violence, divorce, etc. have caused people to look for ways to cope, to escape, to find healing (physically and mentally) and the like. It's no wonder why these films have gained popularity and assuredly will continue. So now, just soon after the release of "Risen" do we have "The Young Messiah".

At the age of seven, Jesus Bar-Joseph (Adam Greaves-Neal) lives with his family in Alexandria, Egypt where they have fled to avoid a massacre of children by King Herod of Israel. Jesus knows that his parents Joseph (Vincent Walsh) and Mary (Sara Lazzaro) have secrets they are keeping from him, secrets about his birth and about traits that make him very different from other boys. His parents, however, believe him too young to grasp the truth of his miraculous birth and purpose. Learning that the murderous Herod is dead, they set out to return to their home of Nazareth in Israel, unaware that Herod's namesake son, (Jonathan Bailey) is, like his father, determined to see the boy Jesus dead. So Herod enlists Centurion Severus (Sean Bean) to fulfill the task of finding this boy and kill him.

Others to round out the cast are Christian McKay as Cleopas, Jesus' uncle, Rory Keenan as The Demon, the tempter to all to hopefully see Jesus dead, Isabelle Adriani as Seleni, David Bradley as Old Rabbi, David Burke as Blind Rabbi, Jane Lapotaire as Sarah and  Finn Ireland as James, Jesus' brother.

This was directed with taste and finesse by Cyrus Nowrasteh ("Veiled Threat" '89, "The Island" '98, "The Day Reagan Was Shot" (TV movie) '01, "The Stoning of Soraya M." '08) plus TV. This filmmaker has a very eclectic resume which is encouraging because this means that going out on a limb not only becomes challenging for him, but a want in his eyes. Most directors stay in their 'comfort zone' which is understanding, but when one is more open, they can convey a film like this with increased objectivity. It was written by Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh and Cyrus Nowrasteh. Like the recent "Risen", this story works from the premise of fictional history, whereas the writer takes a fictional character and places him/her in an actual historical time. In "Risen", the fictional character of a Centurion was enlisted by Pilate to ensure that Jesus' dead body wasn't stolen from the tomb. Whereas in this film, fictional character Centurion Severus was enlisted by the evil Herod to find the boy Jesus and kill him. It's an interesting combination, and one that will probably be utilized in the future of filmdom. These writers have a fair amount of experience, and it showed for the continuity and cohesiveness was executed well. It was slow in a couple of places, but certainly not enough to take away from the story and message this film holds. This is sort of a 'what if' storyline in that some of the background of what the biblical scriptures indicate could of played out in the way this was conveyed. This certainly makes this concept, as with "Risen", interesting, thought provoking and entertaining.

If you're into inspirational films, one will be in inspirational heaven--excuse the pun. However even if these type of films aren't your cup of tea, one can surely learn from them, and maybe find something to think about well after you leave the multiplex.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG-13                                  111mins.