The Savior

The Gospel of Luke is the primary source for director Robert Savo’s comparatively modest biographical film on Jesus, with an actor playing the evangelist Luke introducing the narrative and reappearing periodically throughout, both onscreen and via voiceover narration. The Savior begins with the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary, and the birth of John the Baptist, and proceeds up through Christ’s Crucifixion, Resurrection, and final instruction to the apostles. There are some excisions from the Gospel narrative, of course, and times when writer Philip Dorr expands on it, occasionally adding dialogue (Jesus’s second encounter with King Herod is a case in point) or emphasis (as in the priests’ contemptuous treatment of Jesus after his arrest). The dubbing into English is occasionally distracting (the original 2014 version of the film was in Arabic), but Shredy Jabarin conveys a soothing presence as Jesus, calm even during confrontations with opponents, and the supporting cast is fine. This cannot compare in sheer splendor with major Hollywood productions like King of Kings or The Greatest Story Ever Told, but in the final scenes it avoids the graphic nature of The Passion of the Christ, and for those more interested in meaning than spectacle, the economy of scale may seem a virtue. A sincere film meant to convey the Gospel message without unnecessary frills, this is recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)