The Nativity Story

by Jose

It's undeniable that Christianity is one of the most influential systems of belief in history. So, if you take one of the biblical stories and adapt it to some other medium, the outcome may be two. You either end up making a self-indulgent, coercive project where you try to impose beliefs others regard as pure myth, or you humanize the situations so their values can become universal. Director Catherine Hardwicke chose the latter and delivered what should become a Christmas classic for years to come. It's true that almost everybody is familiar with the story of Jesus' birth, but cinematically it's pretentious and lazy to base your film on what people already know. Which is why here, despite our previous knowledge of the development, the film feels as if we're being introduced to every situation for the very first time.

The film begins in Nazareth where King Herod (Hinds) has imposed brutal taxes on villagers whose main income and survival comes from making cheese and wine. The brutality of the laws affects everyone, including Mary (Castle-Hughes) a young woman who spends the day playing with her friends in order to escape the injustice of the system. Unbeknownst to her, she has caught the attention of Joseph (Isaac) a local carpenter who asks for her hand in marriage. Her family approves and Mary finds herself having been practically sold into a matrimony she doesn't desire.  It is with this small event where the story avoids biblical inevitability and turns into something worthy of Jane Austen, where this girl must face her impending womanhood and assume her role in a society she hasn't had any time to process.  If this wasn't enough, an angel (Siddig) appears to her and announces she has been chosen to carry God's child. Mary accepts her fate, with the inconvenience that due to the law she could face trial and death for being a single mother.  The feeling of freshness and importance the story obtains is absolutely miraculous. Instead of forcing us to praise the sanctity of this woman, she becomes a metaphor for teenage pregnancy, where people, who due to hormonal changes, are beginning to feel inadequate and must also face the huge responsibility of bringing someone else into the world.    

Castle-Hughes gives Mary an angst that is often heartbreaking. Her unconventional beauty overcomes the Cecil B. de Mille biblical syndrome where the voluptuousness and perfect looks of the actors never allowed us to really connect with them.   Keisha's look is often one of fear, which is heightened when she must undertake a journey to save her child and her life.   Isaac is a true revelation as a man who must overcome his stubborn pride, and when he first agrees to father Mary's child he's obviously trying to convince himself that this woman is worthy of all this sacrifice.   Their story then becomes unbelievably romantic. You can ignore the supernatural events and still be moved by the way these strangers find how they compliment each other and how unselfish true love is. However, the film is not perfect.  Hardwicke could've had just the two of them and delivered an excellent film, but she inserts events that feel out of coherence with the main story; like the simultaneous journey of the three wise men who succeed in reminding us that above all, those were times of superstition (since they travel to see if a prophecy is fulfilled) and who merely give the film a level of comic relief that never feels necessary.   

It's also interesting to see how instead of going for opulence, the places, clothes and actions seem more natural. It's a complete joy to see Herod dining with his family and not having trapeze dancers, elephants and jugglers surrounding him, when in fact he doesn't even use forks!  The story tries to cover too much, probably to please and fulfill biblical references which believers would've found necessary, and one really can't blame Hardwicke for trying to be respectful and still have her way with the psychological development.   In the end what gives this film so much hope and utter beauty is that it reminds us that there is no more precious thing than the gift of life.