The Body (2001)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

best movie i've ever seen.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Imagine the consequences if Jesus Christ was never resurrected and his body was discovered buried in a tomb in Jerusalem. Or at least, that is the possibility that this film presents. Anyway, informed of this possible discovery by Israel, the Roman Catholic Church sends a priest named "Father Matt Gutierrez" (Antonio Banderas) to investigate. Although skeptical of Father Gutierrez's impartiality, the archaeologist, Sharon Golban" (Olivia Williams) allows him to accompany her into the tomb she discovered. Since many of the details of this discovery have yet to be thoroughly analyzed, she does her best to explain each step of the process along the way. Obviously, the significance of the results to the Christian faith is enormous. Israel is also concerned because possessing the body of Christ is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it might bring them an invaluable bargaining chip with the West. On the other hand, the influential Orthodox Jewish members within Israel are infuriated with the sacrilege being done and want the site closed immediately. Additionally, realizing that something extremely important has been found, the Palestinians also become involved and seek to possess or destroy whatever is in the tomb. At any rate, rather than disclose some of the more interesting parts of this film, I will just say that the director (Jonas McCord) does a pretty good job of keeping the tension going all the way from start to finish. While the acting was only adequate and I thought the ending could have been drawn out a bit more, I still found it to be an enjoyable film overall.

The Body is a film beginning with an Israeli archaeologist named Sharon Golban (played by Olivia Williams) who discovers a hidden tomb in Jerusalem with bones that could possibly be those of Jesus Christ. The Vatican sends Father Matt Gutierrez (played by Antonio Banderas) with the sole purpose of proving that the bones do not belong to Christ. I first watched The Body a few years ago for a biblical traditions class, and didn't understand the concepts very well. I simply watched the movie with eyes for entertainment rather than learning, and in terms of religion, I couldn't fully grasp the consequences of what would happen if a person found the bones of Jesus Christ. However, after taking another religion of world religions, I was able to understand the second time when I watched The Body, why so many various groups were affected by this one possible discovery. This movie dives deep into the issue of issue of faith, especially the faith of Father Matt Gutierrez, who struggles between this duty to the Vatican and his duty to God and his beliefs. Watching this film, I also learned a great deal more about Christianity, as it focused a great deal on the details of Christ's death, as the gospels had stated. What I loved the most about the film was that it didn't just focus on the effects of the discovery on only Christians, but also brought in the viewpoints and backgrounds of Judaism and Islam; also not focusing only on the effect religiously, but also politically and scientifically, explaining various points about archaeology and evidence. In The Body, the effects of the discovery of bones that were possibly those of Christ's were not only explored in groups, but with individuals themselves. For Father Matt Gutierrez, he was forced to question whether he consistently denied the possibility of the bones being Christ's, due to the Vatican stressing the need to stand by that belief or if it was due to his own personal beliefs and faith. The film also connects to the present ongoing battle between Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the fight for control over the Holy Land. One of the main problems that I had about the film was that although throughout the film, new questions constantly began to rise, by the end of the film, most of those questions had gone unanswered, leaving me with many new unanswered questions. When the film ends, I am still greatly questioning the background and origins behind the bones found by the archaeologist. Overall however, The Body was a film that was both educational and entertaining to watch. Not only did it present an interesting and capturing story plot, but I learned a great deal more about several religions, like Judaism, Islam, and especially Christianity, the many conflicts that arise from a possible discovery of the bones of Christ, and finally the internal struggles that individuals are presented with regarding their faith and what they believe.

Just saw this on TV now, and I thought it was a good one in exploring - quite realistically - what would happen if they truly found such a body. Politics and the clash of religion/science was very well done.I wasn't too happy with the end though. It seemed like a compromise: "OK, so now we've rattled the believers here, let's call it a day and make them happy". It not being Jesus, but "David"? Seems the Romans must have been on repeat, then. Complete with legs, spear, crown of thorns not to mention the victim even being a carpenter. Also, the priest was too much of an honest person not to lose his faith over this. People have lost their faith over smaller things than finding what they think are the bones of Jesus. I'd say that losing faith, while not spreading the word for the sake of the "millions of believers" would be more his way of doing it.

What I liked most in "The Body" was not what THE PLOT was about, but WHAT ISSUES it dealt with: It brings up a hot question of what would happen if somehow proof came up that Jesus was a mere mortal after all, thus shaking Christianity's foundations.The story in the "Body" goes as follows: Dr. Sharon (Williams), a determined and skilled archaeologist, discovers a body which qualifies to be the one of Christ. Her amazing discovery naturally attracts great attention from several sides, despite the fact that it is suppressed from the general public: First of all there is the Vatican, who fears that this discovery will undermine the Christian faith, and thus sends Father Gutierrez "to investigate", i.e. "to bury", the case; then there is the Israeli government, which finds the whole issue as a great tool to further its political aims; and finally, we have the Palestinians who also find the discovery as a great opportunity to pursue their own agenda. As Fr. Gutierrez and Dr. Sharon try to work together and find the truth, their efforts are continuously stymied by the above three competing parties which conspire and collide endlessly.The above plot makes for an interesting thriller, that's for sure. But as I said, what I liked more in this film are the philosophical issues it deals with: What if proof came up that Christ didn't resurrect, after all? Would this destroy Christianity, or as an Israeli spy master says in the film, some faithfuls may abandon ship but the religion is big enough to prevail? And how would the Vatican (and the Protestant and Orthodox churches for that matter) react to such news? Difficult questions, which the film handles rather skillfully, although still a bit superficially.The direction is good, albeit sometimes things could be a bit less slow. Still, McCord produces wonderfully the atmosphere of a city as contradictory as Jerusalem.As far as the acting is concerned, Banderas was good but not perfect. Williams was much better in her role, but sometimes her Israeli accent disappeared revealing her UK roots. I liked Jacobi in his small role as a priest who finds this shocking discovery too big for him to handle.Verdict: 7/10.