The Nativity Story A Journey of Faith

The film is yet to be shown for worldwide viewing, but I was privileged to see an advance screening of the movie at Glorietta, which was sponsored by the Assisi foundation. The film was shown in advance to a selected audience of Bishops, priests, religious and lay people.

The Nativity story is not the typical Christmas story that we are used to see on film or in a play. Yes, it tells the story of Jesus’ birth, a story we all know by heart since we were little kids learning our Catechism classes. However, there is certain freshness in the way the story is retold in this movie.

The film opens with a flashback of the slaughter of the innocents. Herod Antipas who ruled Palestine with an iron hand was greatly disturbed by the news that the long-awaited Messiah who will deliver the Jewish people from oppression, had been born. Wanting to consolidate his hold onto power, Herod ordered the killing of infants, two years and below.

One can feast on the many themes that can be found in the movie. One idea that is very predominant throughout the film is the theme of journeying. For instance, there was the journey of the angel, who at different times and circumstances had appeared first to Mary, then to Joseph. Then there was the journey which Mary undertook to visit her cousin Elizabeth which had brought profound changes in Mary, both spiritually and physically. When Herod ordered a census, Joseph and Mary had to travel to Jerusalem, and afterwards escape to Egypt to elude Herod. The three Wise Men also traveled far and wide to search for the newly-born Messiah. Indeed, the film is replete, not only with this theme of journeying, but of many other ideas and symbolisms that can speak right into the heart of someone who watches the film with an open mind.

As Joseph and Mary journey towards Jerusalem and afterwards to Egypt, they experience hardships, deprivation and hunger. These are realities that most of us encounter as we journey through life. Mary’s fall in the river is one scene which for me speaks so profoundly not merely because of its realism but more of the significance it conveys.

The ideas that can be gleaned from the movie are not new but they affect us in a different way. The varied characters in the film somehow speak to us about ourselves. The attitude of Mary’s friends towards her after they learned of her pregnancy could very well be our own stance when confronted with the same situation. And then, the inner conflict that Joseph had to battle with, upon learning that the virtuous woman he chose to be his wife is pregnant. And Mary, the woman of faith, whose profound trust in God led her to believe. The Magi are also different representations of everyman. Balthazar, is a man used to comfort, hence his wellbeing was his main preoccupation throughout the journey. Gaspar is cynical, one who does not easily believe. Melchor is a man of knowledge. He was sure of what they were seeking. He has faith in his heart.

While filming on location at Matera, in Sassi Italy, (the same location where Mel Gibson shot the film Passion of the Christ), the producers thought of inviting a group of Catholic and Christian journalists to spend a day on the movie set of the Nativity story. Rose Pacatte, FSP, one of the journalists invited to have a first hand experience of witnessing the filming of the movie, had published a film study guide borne out of that experience. She believes this is a kind of movie that will inspire audiences, and will want to see year after year.

Screenwriter Mike Rich took all of eleven months to do research on the Nativity Story. He consulted the works of Jewish scholars, and explored as well the theological and historical works of some prominent Catholic scholars like Raymond Brown, Peter Richardson and John Meier. According to Rich, he drew inspiration from Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Not only was he inspired by it, but he also believed that Gibson’s movie made it possible for The Nativity Story to be made since The Passion “opened a new door to Hollywood for religiously themed films.”

Rich, who is not Catholic, explained to Pacatte in an interview that “we live in a time when the month of December has become fast and hectic, full of the pressures of deadlines and shopping. I won’t say we’ve lost sight of the season, but we have little time to ponder what Christmas means. If this film can provide a two-hour window for families to experience this journey of faith and will spark a conversation among them about the faith that Mary, Joseph, and the other characters show, then the film, to me, will be a wonderful success.”

The movie which made its world premier showing in the Vatican last November 26, but set to be shown worldwide on December 1, has drawn a lot of praise from Vatican officials.

Archbishop John Foley, who heads the Social Communications Office of the Vatican, praised the movie, describing it as a dialogue between faith and culture.

“Cinema, a powerful means of communication, once again carries a universal message,” he said.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone also had positive words about the film. “It is well done. It re-proposes this event which changed history with realism but also with a sense of great respect of the mystery of the nativity,” he told reporters after seeing the movie.

Keisha Castle-Hughes, an Australian-born actress who became famous in the film Whale Rider, essays the role of Mary, while Oscar Isaac portrays Joseph. Shohreh Agdashloo, an Iranian actress nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress in the movie House of Sand and Fog, is Elizabeth. Catherine Hardwicke directs. Hardwicke has previously directed Thirteen, and Lords of Dogtown, for which she has received critical acclaim. Screenwriter Mike Rich had written two movies prior to Nativity Story (The Rookie, Finding Forrester). The Nativity Story was filmed partly in Morocco and Italy.

As Advent season starts, the film appropriately sets an ambiance for reflection for both Catholics and Christians to ruminate on the deeper meaning of Christ’s birth.