Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“You may think you know my story. Trust me, you don’t.”
That’s one of the first dialogues in the 2024 movie “Mary”, and for anybody who is familiar with biblical tales, trust me, the story is pretty familiar. Directed by D.J. Caruso, the most surprising element in the film is probably the random appearances of the angels Gabriel and Lucifer through the runtime. They pop out of nowhere, do their thing, and disappear.
Noa Cohen plays the titular protagonist and also doubles as the narrator, beginning Mary with her father Joachim (Ori Pfeffer) wandering through the desert, fasting and performing penance for 40 days, praying for God to grant him a child. The film starts with Mary’s birth and concludes with the birth of Jesus, the Messiah on whom people pin their hopes against the tyrannical rule of King Herod (Anthony Hopkins).
The highlight of Mary is its cinematography, which conjures a fantasy-like vision of ancient Israel, with the city resembling something out of Arabian Nights. Noa Cohen is radiant as the adult Mary, often dressed in simple yet dreamy robes that look out of a ‘Dune’ movie. Ido Tako plays Joseph, who is led to Mary by an angel, and it’s love at first sight for him, leading to their betrothal.
The one thing that stood out oddly in the film was a line where someone yells, “Stone the virgin whore!” while zealots target Mary. A person can’t logically be both a virgin and a whore, so this paradoxical dialogue only makes sense if it’s coming from someone with a deeper understanding of biblical contradictions—or if the writers intended it as a sly joke. If it’s the latter, it’s very oddly timed, as it occurs during a tense and violent scene. In other words, it doesn’t feel very BC (Before Christ). That’s the thing about Mary: it’s an easily digestible retelling of Mary’s story, and it seems aimed at younger viewers.
Curiously, the birth of Jesus was one of the most underwhelming sequences in “Mary”, it was rushed, and wasn’t done with the theatrics or fanfare you’d expect in a period-piece like this. Anthony Hopkins, as the narcissistic, exploitative, and cruel King Herod, feels a tad underutilized. However, in the brief sequences he appears in, the veteran actor embodies megalomania to perfection. And unlike a lot of Christ/Mary focused movies, this one isn’t extremely violent or gloomy, even though it does dwell on Herod’s ruthless regime and acts of atrocities.
Overall, Mary is a decent one-time watch for those seeking a Christmas movie and open to a fresh retelling of the story of Jesus’s birth.
Rating: 6 on 10. “Mary” is available on Netflix.
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