Movie Review: The Nativity Story

This season, the story of Christ's birth is prevalent. It is the perfect time for the release of The Nativity Story.

Written by Mike Rich and directed by Catherine Hardwicke, The Nativity Story tells the tale of Mary and Joseph from right before they were betrothed to one another to right after their journey to Bethlehem for the census and Christ's birth.

Although the beginning of The Nativity Story is rather slow, before long, you are tied up in it so deeply that you forget who you are and where you are. The dialogue is a little hard to understand in a few places, only because the actors speak either very quickly or very low. The film is 101 minutes long and over much too soon.

There are no "name" actors in The Nativity Story, but the acting is superb. Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac provide a stunning portrayal of Mary and Joseph throughout the entire film. The rest of the cast, from Mary's parents, to the parents of John the Baptist, to the angel Gabriel are just as engaging.

In Mary, you can feel her desire to have her parents and Joseph believe her about the conception of Christ. You can feel her determination to trust in God and give birth to the Savior. In Joseph, you can feel his angst at seeing his betrothed pregnant, and struggling to believe her, then, after a visit from Gabriel in a dream, his desire to protect and love both Mary and her child.

The account of Christ's birth in The Nativity Story is so spot-on that you not only get the "biblical" written account, but also the "story" of what things must have been like for Mary, Joseph, and their families at that time. You can see their hardships and their faith equally. You can also see Mary and Joseph actually fall in love with one another in a time of arranged marriages. At one point, Mary distresses that she is chosen to marry a man she doesn't even know, yet by the end of the film, you can feel their bond, and feel what a special man Joseph must have been, not only to be Mary's husband, but to be chosen by God to be her husband and surrogate father for Christ. It is also a story of faith, as Mary and Joseph both struggle to put their faith in God against the culture of the time.

The Nativity Story is in no way "preachy". It is simply the account of the birth of Jesus Christ and the world at that time. It also tells a sub story of the wise men and King Herod, who was out to kill the Messiah. It captures the heart and makes the story of Christ's birth much more special and real. It is definately a movie everyone, Christian or not, should see.