The Nativity Story

The Nativity Story, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, is the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, and the story of the miraculous birth of Christ, born to the virgin to save the world. It is a story that we have heard time and time again told to us from the Chapters of Matthew and Luke, and with this film screenwriter, Mike Rich attempts brings that story to life. Hardwicke and Rich together with Production Designer, Stefano Ortolani, worked tirelessly to assure that the film was both historically and theologically authentic. They did research for each prop, each set, and each location, choosing to shoot the film in Matera, Italy, a country whose landscape has gone unchanged for centuries.

The film opens with an Old Testament prophecy that has King Herod, played by Ciarán Hinds, quite troubled. Together with his son Antipas they watch over the sacrifice of male children born in Bethlehem. The film then takes us back in time to the beginning of the story. We hear the angel Gabriel tell Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will have a son even though she is well passed child-bearing years. It is after hearing of Elizabeth’s good news that we first meet Mary, a young girl, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes.

While the film makers have undoubtedly worked incredibly hard to make the sets as accurate and authentic as possible at times it feels that more attention should have been given to the dialogue, which at times feels a bit contrived. The Biblical account of the nativity story is brief, and thus there was much room for creative interpretation during this 101 minute film. We see several conversations where Mary and Joseph question why they were chosen and how they are going to raise the son of God. These conversations, though not in the Biblical account of the story, are easily imagined. How often Mary must have wondered, “Why her?”

Keisha Castle Hughes performance as Mary, a young girl thrust first into adulthood by having her husband, Joseph, chosen for her, and then thrust into motherhood and sainthood through Immaculate Conception, was incredibly understated. In a way it was appealing, because the story/the film is not about Mary, but rather about Christ and God sending his son to the world. However, I’m not sure if Hughes flat and understated performance was intentional or just the sign of a sixteen-year-old still learning her way around the big screen.

Joseph, played by Oscar Isaac, is the real stand out in the film. Often we focus on how big of a struggle it was for Mary to carry the Son of God, but this film reiterates the bravery of Joseph as he stood by Mary and struggled with his own questions and doubt about raising the Christ child.

While there are several obvious discrepancies between the Biblical account and The Nativity Story, it is still a film worth seeing. It will put you in the Christmas spirit, and help you to remember why we are celebrating this season.