On the one hand, I found Mary Magdalene often slow and sometimes boring, and found myself thinking at several points during it that I was grateful for the presence of Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix, two always compelling and deep actors who bring a lot to their roles here. Plus there were pivotal moments when the Very Grave Dialogue (or, indeed, Monologue) required to be delivered by one or the other of Mary Magadalene and the rabbi Jesus was either just way too ponderous or compromised by weird fleeting contemporary-sounding half-inflections (Scylla and Charybdis, no doubt), and - more of a quibble but still - the underwater imagery didn't really do it for me.
On the other hand, it's undeniably serious - in every sense - in its treatment of the subject matter. And one of its real strengths is the way it handles its feminism - which in this case is also aimed more generally at structural and institutional power and silencing ... the scenes in the early part of the film in Magdala were powerful in showing Mary's lack of autonomy over her own person, and echoed later in how the apostles, especially Peter, interpret Jesus's message. Also, the cinematography and direction are impressively disciplined, and quite beautiful in a way that serves the rest of what's going on without distracting from it (also, Johann Johannsson's score is quiet and effective).
Neither good nor bad as such, but there was also a Gothic streak to it which I found interesting, and which did improve it for me.
In the end, what tips me towards liking it more than being indifferent towards it was that there were times, just a few and fleeting but still, where the film captured that sense that we are subject to deeper forces which impel us - not necessarily God-driven or faith-based, but particularly powerful in this context. That, plus its serious-mindedness and commitment to its purpose (and, especially, Mara's performance at the centre of it), make Mary Magdalene worthwhile for mine.
(w/ Sheila)
On the other hand, it's undeniably serious - in every sense - in its treatment of the subject matter. And one of its real strengths is the way it handles its feminism - which in this case is also aimed more generally at structural and institutional power and silencing ... the scenes in the early part of the film in Magdala were powerful in showing Mary's lack of autonomy over her own person, and echoed later in how the apostles, especially Peter, interpret Jesus's message. Also, the cinematography and direction are impressively disciplined, and quite beautiful in a way that serves the rest of what's going on without distracting from it (also, Johann Johannsson's score is quiet and effective).
Neither good nor bad as such, but there was also a Gothic streak to it which I found interesting, and which did improve it for me.
In the end, what tips me towards liking it more than being indifferent towards it was that there were times, just a few and fleeting but still, where the film captured that sense that we are subject to deeper forces which impel us - not necessarily God-driven or faith-based, but particularly powerful in this context. That, plus its serious-mindedness and commitment to its purpose (and, especially, Mara's performance at the centre of it), make Mary Magdalene worthwhile for mine.
(w/ Sheila)
