dir. Kevin Connor
Most made-for-TV films about Jesus are basically the same. Everyone who follows Jesus is good; those who deride and betray him are bad. Mary, Mother of Jesus at least tries to do something slightly different by purporting to portray the story from Mary’s perspective. But Mary is so bland and boring, this is akin to having no perspective at all. The younger Mary (Melinda Kinnaman) is especially dull, with her blank stares and breathy idioms. Older Mary (Pernilla August) tries to actually put in a good performance here and there, as does Christian Bale in a somewhat jarring appearance as Jesus, but even they can’t keep the quality up. In fairness, it must be difficult to act convincingly when you’re not in a remotely convincing set, with all the costumes and building exteriors looking almost adorably cheap. The filmmaking is just as hollow, with abrupt cuts to scenes in some places, and scenes which linger on and on and on for no reason in others. Mary, Mother of Jesus is not a well-known film, and there is no need to spread its gospel too far.
BMDb 