Gli ultimi giorni nel deserto

Despite its very slow pacing, I found this film to be an absorbing tale, with a concise and sharp screenplay from Colombian filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia, who also directed the movie.

Ewan McGregor does well in his portrayal of Yeshua (Jesus). who has entered the desert alone for prayer and reflection, trying to get in touch with his inner self and to also connect spiritually with his Father. McGregor has a dual role here, as he also plays The Demon (Satan), who taunts and tempts Yeshua along the way.

Yeshua, on his way to Jerusalem, encounters a family living in the desert, and the strong acting of each family member from Ciaran Hinds, Tye Sheridan, and Ayelet Zurer adds well to the mix, as well as the movie being enhanced by its spectacular cinematography.

Overall, if one doesn't mind the low-key and very deliberate pacing, there's an engrossing tale to be told here, buoyed by a fine cast and the no-frills writing of Garcia.

This film tells the imagined story of Jesus, and his 40 days of travels in the desert, fasting and praying before his sacrifice for humankind. He meets a family with troubles, and tries to offer a helping hand.

To be honest, I would not have watched "Last Days in the Desert" if it wasn't for Ewan McGregor in the film. After just five minutes, I was thoroughly bored and wished I hadn't started watching it. It shows Ewan McGregor walking around in the desert, in a dull and monotonous environment. There is hardly any dialog until he meets the family. Even then, there is still hardly anything happening. There are very long waits between dialogues, and basically very long waits before anything happens. I sat through the film and was bored by the dullness of the film. The only scene that had a little resonance with me was the scene where the father asked the son a riddle. Otherwise, the rest of the entire film just did not connect or resonate with me at all.

I liked this more than a lot of critics and friends, finding a gentle poetic power in some of the sequences, and appreciating the humanness of this simple telling as the end of Jesus' 40 days in the desert before he returned to civilization to face challenges and death.

Devoid of demands the audience believe in a literal way, I could be more open the exploration of complexities of faith and spiritual ethics that challenge everyone, even the son of god. I particularly liked the scenes where Ewen McGregor plays both Jesus and Satan, debating – among other things - the nature of God, and whether He is essentially good, or an over-controlling ego-maniac. McGregor does a lovely job separating the two characters with subtle touches like vocal rhythms and a different glint in the eye (there's no attempt to make the look different, signifying perhaps that the Devil is indeed an inevitable part of all humans, including this holy one).

On the other hand, the main story line created for the film – Jesus getting caught up in the domestic troubles of a dysfunctional desert family – is more uneven. There are indeed touching scenes, and it was refreshing to see a biblical story where Jesus can't simply bring happiness to this angry father, dying mother and alienated son with a wise word or a wave of his hand. On the other hand, at times it feels simply too prosaic, too small scale and too familiar. I think that's part of the point. Basic human struggle has changed very little in 2,000 years. But it also led to the occasional cringe-worthy moment, as when Jesus councils the father about the wayward son; 'talk to him about something he's interested in', sounding more like a friendly neighbor or basketball coach than the son of God. More important it wasn't clear (at least to me) how Jesus' encounter with this family effects his thinking or perceptions about his own difficult relationship with his own Father or terrifying fate going forward. What does he know or understand now that he didn't before?

Last, the film steals a key last minute twist from another cinematic version of the Christ tale, and I was distracted by the imitation.

In the end this was sort of a split decision. My mind found many faults with the film, some serious, but my heart was touched and involved.

it seems strange. far by the classic story of Jesus in Carantania desert. without the well known temptations and without the expected answers of Son of God. Rodrigo Garcia gives only the portrait of a strange meet of Jesus with a family. few riddles and dialogues and slow action and enigmatic facts. each- far by a religious film. or a coherent story. a riddle. like the riddles of the boy. in fact, only a challenge. puzzle of discreet cultural references from the roof of the Temple to Abraham and Last Temptation, from Pasolini to Paradjanov. a film of gestures and looks. maybe, a poem. ignoring Resurrection. because the Resurrection is the duty of the viewer. perfect subject of debates and controversies, it propose a new, interesting and far to be uninspired portrait of the Savior. Ewan McGregor gives a not comfortable Jesus but one who impress for the honest manner to remind old truths who are , in too many occasions, insignificant. a poem about the small things who defines the life. and nothing more.

To all its credit, "Albert Nobbs" director Rodrigo Garcia makes a marvelous transition of the story of the temptation of Jesus to the art-house scene, cementing this "not intended for the Christian audiences". Though the art-house Biblical story is nothing unusual, "Last Days in the Desert" makes a unique turn of focusing it as a father-son story. That is where the flaws turn out. Driving the focus away from Jesus makes the story unjustifiable to explore and insincere to depict. However, the grandiose coming from Ewan McGregor's presence and the sense of struggle makes the journey satisfying. There could have been more depth to explore from a simple scripture about Jesus' 40 days in the desert, rather than adding a father-son subplot. But from what was offered, Garcia makes an interesting piece to talk about.