40 Days in the Desert

Forty days Jesus (Ewan McGregor) goes into the desert, fasting in solitude to find divine enlightenment. Always at his side is his diabolical doppelganger, who tries to stir up doubts in Jesus about his destiny and trust in God. On the last leg of his challenging journey, Jesus is taken in by a family looking to settle in the barren wasteland. While the father (Ciarán Hinds) wants to build a house for his ailing wife (Ayelet Zurer) and son (Tye Sheridan), the boy dreams of leaving the desert and trying his luck in the city. Jesus tries to mediate the tensions between father and son and help the family build the house. But the devil keeps interfering with his efforts and tries to use this encounter as a test for the Son of God.

With 40 Days in the Desert, director and screenwriter Rodrigo Garcia aims to tell a glimpse of a rarely told episode in the life of Jesus. The look at his Lenten period spent in the desert after his baptism in the Jordan River is meant to focus on Yeshua the man rather than the Son of God. This is done through the fictional encounter with a family whose conflicts are also transferred to Yeshua. It is an exciting idea that the devil, who has taken the form of Jesus, should awaken doubts in the latter that he can master his task as Saviour if he fails to help the family, which is plagued by illness and inner conflicts. But making it all work is a real challenge, to say the least.

No question, the images shot in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park not far from San Diego, California, are mesmerizingly beautiful. Embedded in a very quiet narrative flow, they exert almost a meditative effect. On top of that, there is a very minimalistic musical background. For those who can get involved, this is a really fascinating story about fathers and sons and about the power of faith. But if you don't succeed in letting yourself be carried along by the unhurried narrative flow, the drama turns into a real test of patience. There will certainly be more than a few viewers who will want the film as a screen saver, but will find little to gain from it as cinema entertainment.

40 Days in the Desert, despite its somewhat unwieldy realization, is a very interesting film that manages to show the figure of Jesus from a different side than is usually the case and to approach the subject of faith and religion in a rather subtle way. Even if it is difficult to access, lovers of very quiet arthouse cinema can definitely recommend this spiritual journey. For all others: still worth seeing with restrictions!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp