The Christ Child

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has done a marvelous job creating this well-done and beautifully interdenominational short movie depicting "The Nativity".

This 17-minute short (available on YouTube) retelling of the Nativity goes for full-on accuracy, following the Gospel accounts rather than more modern interpretations. This includes the characters speaking in Aramaic, the language at the time, including Mary singing in Aramaic a lullaby based on a psalm. There are no translated subtitles because none are needed. The film is about the emotion conveyed by characters and felt by the audience. We don't need to understand the exact words because we always feel and therefore comprehend what is being portrayed. The anxiety and worry for a loved one, the significance of the Child, the gratitude, wonder, and humility as shown by the characters by their expressions, tenderness, and sense of awe. We feel as they feel, we feel more a sense of this is what it must of been like and this, was an amazing event that deserves to be reminisced, honored, and celebrated.

Only can write - admirable . Against confession difference ( I am Greek Orthodox ), against prejudices, against some problems of accuracy - The Mother of God is too old, the Right Joseph - too young , the tradition of wise men around manger is changed ( not exactly in bad way ). Significant, from the first scenes you feel it as a great, carefull crafted short film, offering , in precise - simple - touching manner, the story who you know and helping you to feel it. And few scenes are wise use of familiar great masterpices of art.

Good acting, inspired details, great dimensions of story.

And powerful last scene.

So, one of profound useful short films for Christmas season and for the time when you feel the need to rediscover the beauty , special beauty, of your faith.

So, Christian message in great , gentle, inspired manner , moment by moment.

This is the most historically accurate depiction of Jesus's birth in existence. Things I noticed that this one gets right that most depictions get wrong: the language appears to be Aramaic, the manger is made of stone, there are short haircuts for men, the stable is a part of the house, the "inn" is a dwelling of apparently extended relations, the wise men arrive later, when Jesus is a child rather than when he is a baby still in the manger.

The two things I noticed that are probably inaccurate: Mary should have been about 14 years old, and the swaddling in baby Jesus should have been around the arms and legs,

This depiction of the nativity follows the words from the Bible stories exactly, and yet there is so much emotion. It's easy to connect with multiple characters and bring this moving story into your heart and mind. Despite it being a familiar tale, you'll be watching closely.