Movie Review: Mary Magdalene (2018 Movie)

Mary Magdalene

Director: Garth Davis

Producers: Iain Canning, Emilie Sherman, Liz Watts

Starring: Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix

Release date: 2018 (UK) 2019 (US)

Genre: Biblical Fiction; Historical fiction, Christian history

Media Review:

I am reflecting on some of the books and media I have reviewed as part of my research into the various views of the life and times of Jesus and his followers.

Mary Magdalene is a two-hour movie available on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and clips on YouTube.

Plotline:

Much of the action is the internal transformation of Mary's spiritual understanding. Mary is portrayed as a young Jewish woman who runs away from the marriage arranged by her family, wishing to escape destiny as a wife and mother. The family tries to exorcise the demons inside her that they believe feed her desire to be free of the traditional role.

Next, she goes to the healer, Jesus. Mary is inspired by his teaching and actions. She opposes her family and decides to follow Jesus. Mary finds hope and a sense of purpose in the new movement led by Jesus.

However, Mary comes into conflict with the male disciples, who are already competing to be the disciple closest to Jesus. They have their own ideas about Jesus' words and how he will deliver Israel from the Roman occupation and the religious leaders. As Mary feels more passionate about Jesus and his vision for peace, love, and a different kind of kingdom, Peter is portrayed as being resentful of her presence in the group and that Jesus takes time to teach her. As events turn against Jesus, the confrontations between Mary and Peter increase.

After Jesus' death, Mary sees the risen Jesus, but when she tells the apostles, they do not believe her; they show jealousy and resentment. She shares her understanding and insight that the kingdom where Jesus reigns is in our hearts. The men believe Jesus will soon return and defeat Rome. The film concludes with her as the only one to understand the message that God's kingdom comes as believers change the world one heart at a time.

Her Story Will Be Told

The creators of the movie Mary Magdalene use the tagline "Her story will be told." When the disciples criticize a woman named Mary for anointing Jesus with expensive oil in Bethany, saying it is a waste of money, Jesus tells them that wherever the gospel is proclaimed, her story will be told (Matthew 26:13). However, the Mary who anointed Jesus in Bethany was likely the sister of Martha and a separate person from Mary Magdalene. I provide biblical references to the women who anoint Jesus on my blog: Who is Mary, sister of Martha?

The film aims to correct the old portrayal of Mary Magdalene as a repentant prostitute or wife or sexual partner of Jesus. Instead, it portrays Mary as a close and faithful disciple with a superior understanding of Jesus' message and purpose. The movie stays close to the biblical storyline.

The Gospel of Mary

The movie brings in ideas from the non-canonical Gospel of Mary. While this text is not included in the canon of the Bible, it dates back to the second century and gives insights to Christian views of the time. Fragments of the non-canonical Gospel of Mary were found in Upper Egypt in 1896 and translated from Coptic to English in the mid-1900s.

The ideas from the Gospel of Mary include:

• Mary received revelations and understood the good news in a different way from the male apostles.

• Peter disputes that Jesus would have given special revelations to Mary, saying he has priority; Matthew says Jesus may have chosen to tell messages to Mary.

• Jesus sent Mary to make disciples.

These scrolls show Mary Magdalene as a disciple receiving special revelations from Jesus. We know that the Spirit gave special revelations to Paul (on the Road to Damascus and telling him to go to Macedonia), and to Peter (the vision of clean and unclean food), and to Philip (telling him to go down an isolated road and baptize an Ethiopian eunuch), and John (the book of Revelation). It is very credible that Mary would also receive revelations.

The church declared gnosticism a heresy; however, the Gospel of Mary shows ideas that are distinct from the heretic elements of gnosticism. Unlike gnostic gospels, the Gospel of Mary presents one God and a unity of soul and body, as opposed to a hierarchical or dualistic view of the soul over matter, male over female[4]. Karen L. King[5] states that while the canonical Gospels show how Jewish and Roman ideas shaped early Christianity, the Gospel of Mary gives insight into how the gospel may have been viewed by Greeks familiar with Plato.

The scrolls were likely written by followers of people who had heard Mary Magdalene preaching or teaching in Egypt. They likely hid her scrolls when it became illegal to support Mary Magdalene or any other women as a teacher or apostle. Perhaps that is why it is not in the canon of the Bible.

YouTube trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d385fB-94aU

Pros/Cons

Pros: The cinematography is beautiful, and the music score is award-winning. The character development and dialogue support the biblical message that forgiveness, healing, and salvation come from Jesus.

Cons: According to the Bible, Mary was not the only woman disciple, and was not the only disciple to understand Jesus' teachings about establishing a new kingdom. The pace of the movie is slow, lacking in plot or action

Conclusion This is a thought-provoking movie that is consistent with the biblical narrative and will not threaten your faith. It will enrich your faith by showing how Jesus intended to model a new way of life, empowering women and uplifting the lowly. It provides a view that Jesus overturned earthly powers with non-violence, establishing a new kingdom of peace and love by changing our hearts.

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Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:

• Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)

• The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)

• Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)

• Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)

• Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, A Novel of the Earliest Female Apostles (coming October 2025)