Ewan McGregor Stars in New Biblical Movie 'Last Days in the Desert'

Coming on May 13 is the new Biblical-based epic movie Last Days In The Desert. Starring Ewan McGregor as Jesus, the story revolves around the time just before the start of his ministry, at the end of his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert. Along with McGregor, Last Days In The Desert stars Tye Sheridan, Ciarán Hinds and Ayelet Zurer. It's written and directed by Rodrigo García and produced by Bonnie Curtis, Julie Lynn, and Wicks Walker. 

Three of the four gospels tell this story: after his baptism by John, Jesus goes into the Judean Desert to fast and pray for forty days. As recounted in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Satan tempts Jesus during this time in three conversations, and Jesus resists. By the time he leaves, he is ready to start his public ministry.

Last Days imagines a story set during the final few days in the wilderness. After over a month of solitary wandering, Yeshua is tired, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and lonely, weary of not hearing his Father's voice. He happens upon a family in the wilderness who recognize that he is a holy man and offer him shelter and hospitality; in return, he offers them some help with carpentry.

The father, played by Irish actor Ciaran Hinds (Road to Perdition; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), has a relationship with his son familiar to anyone who has ever been a teenager: equal parts love and confusion, trying to both connect with him and protect him, but not sure how to do either. The son (Tye Sheridan, the brilliant young American actor seen in Mud, The Tree of Life, and Joe) obeys his father and cares for his sick mother (celebrated Israeli actress Ayelet Zurer), but dreams of living in Jerusalem.

Yeshua forms relationships with both the boy and his father over the course of their conversations, but he has another conversation partner: Satan himself, a suaver version of Yeshua with a glint in his eye. Satan taunts and tempts Yeshua away from the work that lies ahead, suggesting that the Father doesn't really love him. 

Here are what early reviewers have to say about the film:

"Last Days [in the Desert] leaves space for its audience to lose themselves, to look on what Christ might have seen and consider what it might have been like to be him. It is a warm, generous, and unexpected story."

- Alissa Wilkinson

"Garcia has touched upon something stirring and true here, and he's risen to the occasion with perhaps the most singularly gorgeous piece of filmmaking of his career."

- Justin Chang

"The production team did a great job capturing the on-site soundscape of the desert. This attention to detail gives the film the most realistic source materials to mix using Dolby Atmos technology."

- David Dolby

 

 

 

 

 

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