My recent viewing of a film courtesy of Fathom Events and Pinnacle Peak Pictures, Vero Entertainment, and Reel Big Studios, was a very enjoyable experience. Forty Seven Days with Jesus will be hitting the big screens on the 11th, 12th, and 14th of March this year, before Easter in select theaters throughout the country.
While writing for this film, there are many parents out there who would be pleasantly surprised, because this film promotes the participation of parents in their children’s lives, which is a necessity in today’s world of sin. Though I have my reservations regarding a few topics of the movie, overall, I was quite impressed. Parents must watch the film with all of their children.
My impressions of the film overall are rather mixed which helps balance the good and the bad and I look forward to exploring this area in depth in the latter section of the paper.
Joseph is a movie character who works a lot, which naturally has consequences for his family life. At the same time, the film brings us a musical adaptation of the last 47 weeks of Jesus’s life on earth. The retelling begins with Jesus’s portion of Jerusalem while the remainder focuses on Jesus’s time frame which starts with the massive amount of Hebrews shouting “hosannah.” Later it glances on the deadly cross, terribly sacred resurrect, and lastly finishes off with apostolic fishing.
The music, however, was not what I had envisioned: the songs were slower and choral, which I would consider more appropriate for a church service. This isn’t a genre I’d choose to listen to, but the songs were emotionally rendered and the performers sang well.
For me the most important lesson was a rather meager portion of the picture, but it was the stress of the apostles bearing the feeling of loss, that is, the loss of Jesus. After He returned to life and showed himself to the Apostles, there is a sequence of the disciples going fishing. Their lack of success in fishing reflects the hurt and void that they feel after losing a loved one.
For me, this scene is a takeaway because when I contemplate the loneliness of the disciples, I do so largely in terms of the days prior to the resurrection. However, I don’t consider the emotional impact of seeing Him again and being physically present with Him every day as they were used to. It adds a better perspective to the dawn of the Holy Spirit, at least for me.
As a whole, the theme of the movie, which is of sacrifice, focusing on the current age of work is interesting. Joseph, in particular, believes that he works hard for the family and thus does all that he should as a father and a husband, yet he is away from them. Therefore, his children and wife, in turn, are yearning for him.
Also, I found the depiction of a sacrifice at the crucifixion to be appropriate as well. The scene displays the brutality of the moment without going into unnecessary detail, and the angles created by the camerawork are more considerate of the audience. Similarly, the song and the close shots of the Jesus actor also emphasize the grace and love with which he sacrificed himself. For me, it was also interesting to combine the song with the empty tomb. This was a cool and effective contrast. And, the camera work depicting Jesus’ spirit departing from His body was an amazing picture.
I liked the representation of different kinds of people, particularly the fact that this retelling was not dominated by white people, especially in the Middle East.
I’ve managed to catch Cameron Arnett in a couple of films, and he was fantastic as Pontius Pilate. I also found it interesting that this section contains a little more dialogue, among other things, about the other significant events.
The structuring has a lot of flexibility due to the interruptions. it switches pretty quickly from singing in narration to silence in the modern tale. Music has sustained the flow even when the concept has aspects devoid of singing. The film has two projects at hand: the coverage of Jesus’s life the last 47 days on earth as well as covering the life of a father nowadays who fails to spend time with his family. All actors were performed very well including the parts of three children, but I believe the children’s cast had one part meant for a younger woman.
But there is also a drawback; the stories are different in that one uses a lot of dialogue while the other leans more towards sound and visuals. Most of the actions in one (or more) scenes are explained by talking between family members. One interaction, where I think the majority of the impact is built, is the disciples on the lake, which is unchained and operates on the syntax of the Joseph family’s convergence at another lake.
Minutes pass before the family revisits the ’47 Days’ plot at the campfire: this time Peter takes it up and the rest of the family answer. The tone here is rather artificial, and I feel many points were touched upon; Peter asked for and received forgiveness towards the end. These events are not depicted in these historical portions, and it is reasonable to consider them to be presented in modern time period. However, the chronology doesn’t add up. As a result, there is a bit of disconnect in the subplots.
Discussing the question of absence of the spouse, one of the characters interprets the meaning of being loved in the following way – to be forgiven. Seeing that this is a conversation about marriage, which is unfamiliar to me, I do tend to be cautious of such assertions – more so the last one.
There is a reference to Joseph’s adolescent son who loses interest in the story titled “Forty Seven Days.” Joseph attributes this to his son’s age but his dad, Joseph’s dad, defends that ignorance because his son has not lived the depth of the story in practice.
I can see why this line is included in the story and yes, it is true that Joseph should devote more time to his kin. On a personal note, I have the perspective that, relationships with fathers on earth are a factor that does shape how one perceives the Father up above.
I think we need to clarify that my dislike of the particular line here comes specifically from how it blames the father given that it encourages a negative aspect of church culture. In my point of view Christian parents frequently bear the brunt of being told that it is their fault for failing to control their wayward offspring or that with more prayers or rituals they would be successful in reining the children in. The truth is that even parents who are considered the epitome of good my tell you that their best has not worked. I get that Joseph had to do better as a father but I don’t agree with the way this is expressed.
Just before the scene of the grave, the grandfather cautions the granddaughter that she might be a bit frightened by the picture. Jesus’s lifeless body is seen tumbling through the void. (I am sorry to sound tender hearted but this did not frighten me). We also witness Judas beside a rope tied up in a noose. The scene cuts to black after he steps forward.
The film was able to achieve what its producers intended, yet I would have hoped for improved development arcs for both plot lines and a much clearer connection between the two plotlines. I especially would have liked more of a conclusion to the retelling portion since the last scene is good, but misses out on being explored again in the present-day debates.
That being said, the music was great, as were the lyrics to some of the songs. I appreciated that Joseph decided to seek family over work. In this case, I like how Forty Seven Days with Jesus dwells on this theme in today’s context.
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