Mary, the 2024 film about Mary, mother of Jesus: a mariological analysis

The Film “Mary” (2024)

“Mary” is a 2024 biblical film directed by D.J. Caruso, distributed by Netflix. The film chronicles the life of the Virgin Mary from the Annunciation to her flight to Egypt, starring Noa Cohen as Mary and Anthony Hopkins as Herod. The production paid close attention to the historical and cultural context of Judea during the 1st century BCE/CE, while incorporating dramatic elements and narrative interpretations typical of cinematic storytelling. Its release sparked widespread discussion about the portrayal of Mary in contemporary visual arts.

Mary in Cinema: A Centuries-Old Tradition

Since the dawn of cinema, Mary has been a central figure in biblical films, from D.W. Griffith’s “Intolerance” (1916) to “Ben-Hur” (1959), “The Story of Ruth,” and the grand biblical epics of the 1950s-60s, to Franco Zeffirelli’s “Jesus of Nazareth” (1977), where Anne Bancroft’s portrayal of Mary is considered one of the most faithful to the Gospel account. The “Jesus Film” (1979), the most-viewed film in history, includes a discreet but faithful depiction of Mary. “Nativity Story” (2006) focused specifically on the Annunciation, Visitation, and birth of Jesus, with Keisha Castle-Hughes playing Mary.

What Theology Says About Portraying Mary

The Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, n.67) calls for representations of Mary to be of “genuine artistic value” and to avoid anything that might mislead or alienate believers from the worship of God. The Instruction “Communio et Progressio” (1971) on social communication encourages Christian art, including cinema, as long as it does not violate the dignity of sacred figures. Portraying Mary in film is an act of visual catechesis: the aesthetic choices inherently convey an implicit theology. The way Mary is depicted influences what the viewer understands about her identity.

The Historical Figure of Mary: What We Know

The historical figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus, remains a subject of scholarly inquiry and theological reflection. While the biblical accounts provide a framework for understanding her role, many aspects of her life remain shrouded in mystery. The gospels offer insights into her character, her relationship with Jesus, and her significance in the early Christian community, but they do not provide a comprehensive biography.Theological interpretations and historical research have attempted to piece together a more complete picture, drawing from both biblical and non-biblical sources. However, the lack of extensive historical documentation makes it challenging to establish definitive facts about Mary’s life and context. Scholars continue to explore various aspects of her story, including her family, social status, and the cultural and religious milieu in which she lived.Historical sources about Mary are exclusively biblical and patristic, there are no secular documents from the 1st century that mention her. The New Testament mentions her in: Lk 1:26-56 (Annunciation and Magnificat), Lk 2:1-52 (Birth, Presentation, Meeting in the Temple), Jn 2:1-11 (Caná), Jn 19:25-27 (at the foot of the Cross), Acts 1:14 (at the Cenacle). The apocryphal Gospels of Infancy (Proto-Evangel of James, 2nd century) add details about her origin in the family of Joachim and Anna and her upbringing in the Temple, but they are not verifiable historical sources. Any film about Mary inevitably deals with materials that are partially imagined.

The Annunciation on Screen

The scene of the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38) is the core of any cinematic representation of Mary. How to depict the moment when the Eternal enters time? Cinema has grappled with this question in various ways: supernatural light, only a voice, a human angelic figure. What the Scripture reports is the dialogue between Mary and the angel Gabriel, a dialogue that reveals Mary’s intelligence (“How will this be?” Lk 1:34) and her freedom (“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord,” Lk 1:38). Any portrayal that reduces Mary to a passive receptacle betrays the Lucan text.Deepen your studies: Explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Fiat of Mary, Marian Iconography, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.