Another contribution from the fast-growing faith-based film-making industry, this dramatisation of Jesus’s final meal and the events leading up to it is as basic as it gets. That said, it’s perfectly serviceable for what it was no doubt intended to be: something religious families can slap on TV for the teens while the grownups get the holiday banquet ready. As dehydrated theology goes, it contains all the basic New Testament theological nutrients – including the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus’s dispute with Jerusalem’s rabbinate, his invention of the Eucharistic sacrament at the titular supper, the betrayals by Judas and Peter – and then bing-bang-bong, the crucifixion and resurrection are briskly run through by the time the bread rolls are out of the oven.
Naturally, there’s no question here that our man Jesus (played by Jamie Ward) is anything other than the son of God and therefore the Messiah. But viewers living in more secular families or even ones with other faiths might find this not only a useful primer on Christianity but also a respectful reminder of how Jesus was first and foremost a Jew, and that the Last Supper was a celebration of Passover with its own rituals and sacred meanings.
Intriguingly, the screenplay, co-written by director Mauro Borrelli and John Collins, puts a strong emphasis on the apostle Peter’s experiences leading up to, during and after the passion. Peter is played by the stolidly blond James Oliver Wheatley, who also played John the Baptist in the TV series Jesus: Crown of Thorns, and he brings a baffled openness to the part, along with a bow-legged swagger that suggests he’s spent more time riding the range on a horse than fishing. His handsome avuncular quality helps audiences forgive him for his foretold denial of Jesus three times before the cock crows, unlike scuff-faced Judas (Robert Knepper) who is clearly a wrong’un because he’s always questioning things.
In terms of production values, the film is fine, although the score is overbearing, but the Moroccan locations provide a photogenic backdrop. Nevertheless, it’s disappointing that it didn’t take a bold leap and present a film that consists solely of the supper itself in real time, perhaps lingering on the culinary aspects of the meal and the chitchat between the disciples seated further away from Jesus, getting quietly sloshed in the background or bickering over who gets the tastiest bits of lamb on the platter. We can only pray someone will make that film someday.
• The Last Supper is in UK and Irish cinemas from 20 March.
