Jesus Was a Commie

"Jesus Was a Commie" is a well written and filmed picture that incorporates an unusual, yet presentable, approach to the theory that Jesus Christ can be linked to a communist. Although the title of the film may offer a biased and outrageous approach of Jesus, it instead is much less prone to sensitivity; the theme of the film is not as rough as the title suggests. The film is narrated and directed by Matthew Modine and it mixes shots focusing on him, natural events and the passing of time in popular places, such as the New York Stock Exchange. The film should be equally credited for the filmography and the message delivered through the script and scenes.

The first terms that jump into my head when hearing the word "communism" are greed, failure and destruction. For some reason, I link communism to experiments, which many groups and nations have attempted to establish, that eventually led to an eradication of the groups morally and physically. Modine made it clear that this view of communism is only one part of the ingredients. Communism should not be frowned upon, but rather looked at as something common. Jesus, like communism, was revolutionary, only he didn't use violence. He introduced a new humane way of thinking, one that included a disinterest in owning material possessions. Modine emphasizes that Jesus questions structures. When governments asks "why are the poor among us?" Jesus asks "why are the poor looked down upon?" Modine utilizes one line inspirational quotes to support his radical (but maybe not so radical) message that he is trying to displaying. "An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind," "live with eyes open" and "when we throw stones, it is our pitiful senses, our egos that act alone" highlight the theme of this 15 minute clip. Modine uses an array of captions and appropriate color display (switching from black and white to color) to create this well documented film. "Jesus Was a Commie" intertwines a punctilious plot with an intriguing topic through a voice-over film approach. I recommend the film to any moviegoer in search of a compelling argument that is backed by well thought of actions shots and vivid pictures.

The short film, Jesus Was A Commie, proposes a thought provoking idea that Jesus was a communist. By making this statement the filmmakers are proposing that Jesus believes that everyone deserves to live a life without having to resort to begging for money etc. However, I personally believe that the word communist has negative connotations attached to it and usually brings up thoughts of dictatorships and totalitarian governments rather than socialistic type of societies which is essentially what Jesus supposedly believed in according to the film.

Disregarding the films message, the actual film making complemented the films message and voice-over extremely well. The film depicts a guy walking through the city passing buildings and homeless people with images interspersed throughout. By showing himself walking the filmmaker shows how small and rather inconsequential each person is in the world and how everyone is interrelated and of equal importance in Jesus' and God's eyes.

The film is not attempting to force people to become communist it is rather asking for people to think about how Jesus' would act and look at the world with a new perspective. I believe that the films message is a bit off and too idealistic, especially with its choice of viewing Jesus as a communist. However, the filming is smart and a great image in addition to the lecture type of voice-over accompanying it.

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"Jesus Was a Commie" was a very good movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. Matthew Modine's argument was not the the economic aspect of the word, but more of a social one. Communism is a ideology in which there is an establishment of a classless, moneyless society. In the word there is the word "common." Modine argues that Jesus was a commie because he was for the common man. I agree with Modine and his style of presentation combined with his argument in a 15 minute clip had me convinced.

Matthew Modine also argued that our humanistic egos are destroying the very planet that we live on. He places the responsibility on us to change our outlooks to a positive one and to work together for a common goal of bettering not only ourselves, but others as well. We need to have a sense of morality that is beneficial to the entire world and it must correlate to Jesus's teachings. We have an opportunity to change human history for the better rather than the worse.

Overall, this film is definitely a must see. It has a compelling, provoking argument, with up to date visuals, so it will not bore you. I would recommend this to a good friend or family member because it is that thought provoking. Only after seeing this film can one decided if "Jesus Was a Commie."

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I see many reviews referring to the lyricism, the obvious biblical connections and and the pure artistic quality of this film. What it is, along with and MORE THAN all that, is a smart, straightforward narrative reminding us that Jesus (and a handful of other historical visionaries)was handing us a message of such simple and obvious truth, such COMMON SENSE that it could NOT, not be true. This film guides us on a path toward decency. It also highlights the fact that the snake-oil brand of spirituality packaged under Jesus' label by the rich and politically powerful, is exactly that. Go see it when you get a chance.

Chris Crutcher

Jesus was a Commie was introduced to me during a Theology lesson. We watched this film in coordination with readings by Gustavo Gutierrez. The title alone of this movie will draw any viewer in, at least for me it did! I was immediately annoyed and outraged by the title of the movie- but shouldn't that be the effect of all great movies? As a deeply religious Catholic my first thoughts were how could anyone accuse Jesus of being a communist. These accusations came at the cost of putting Stalin and Jesus on the same level, BUT the film turned my feelings of outrage into understanding and agreement to a certain extent!

The film began and automatically it was not what I was expecting from a film entitled "Jesus was a Commie"! I expected it to drag on like some of the most boring religious based films often do, but instead the screen flashed wonderful graphics which complemented the narrative very well. The music going along with this also made the entire 13 minutes of the film very enjoyable. I was captured by what Matthew Modine had to say about Jesus and communism. Surprisingly, I found myself in agreement with Matthew.

I don't want to give away too much of what the film covers, but I would like to mention the idea of oppression, which comes up in the movie through the idea of violence and such. I believe this movie gives a great viewpoint on salvation and the Reign of God which can be correlated to Gutierrez's writings' such as "Christ the Liberator" found in Essential Writings. This film does not create the controversy one would expect from its title. Jesus was a Commie has earned all of the 10 stars I am rating it with. I walked away from this film with many questions as it was extremely thought provoking! This is a must watch for people from all religious backgrounds! I hope to see more from Matthew Modine.

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