Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, but for those who observe more than just Hallmark holidays, it was also Ash Wednesday. It’s the start of the six weeks of repentance by Christians before Easter. Or, for Universal Pictures and Focus Features, it’s the perfect hook to keep marketing “Mary Magdalene.”
Known around here as the Joaquin Phoenix Jesus Movie, the film is actually led by Rooney Mara, and tells the story of the Son of Man, through her eyes. Audiences will follow Jesus’ journey that has been chronicled many times before, but from a new perspective. Here’s the official synopsis:
Directed by Garth Davis (Lion and Top of the Lake) and set in the Holy Land in the first century C.E., a young woman (Rooney Mara) leaves her small fishing village and traditional family behind to join a radical new social movement. At its head is a charismatic leader, Jesus of Nazareth (Joaquin Phoenix), who promises that the world is changing. Mary is searching for a new way of living, and an authenticity that is denied her by the rigid hierarchies of the day. As the notoriety of the group spread and more are drawn to follow Jesus’ inspirational message, Mary’s spiritual journey places her at the heart of a story that will lead to the capital city of Jerusalem, where she must confront the reality of Jesus’ destiny and her own place within it.
Co-starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim, “Mary Magdalene” opens in the U.K. on March 16th. No word on a U.S. date as the picture is currently caught up in The Weinstein Company quagmire.