Mary Magdalene (2018 film)

Mary Magdalene is a 2018 biblical drama film about the woman of the same name, written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett and directed by Garth Davis. It stars Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim.

The film had its world premiere at the National Gallery on February 26, 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2018, by Focus Features, and in Australia on March 22, 2018, by Transmission Films. It is the last film score completed by composer Jóhann Jóhannsson before his death.

Plot
In the year 33 AD, when Judea was under the control of the Roman Empire, a woman named Mary from the small town of Magdala begins to follow Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of Christianity. This causes conflict with the other, male disciples, including Saint Peter. Mary follows Jesus all the way to the Resurrection.

Cast

 * Rooney Mara as Mary Magdalene
 * Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus Christ
 * Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peter
 * Tahar Rahim as Judas
 * Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Martha
 * Hadas Yaron as Sarah
 * Lubna Azabal as Susannah
 * Lior Raz as Magdala Community Leader
 * Ryan Corr as Joseph
 * Jacopo Olmo Antinori as Magdala Man
 * Shira Haas as Leah
 * Uri Gavriel as Philip
 * Charles Babalola as Andrew
 * Tawfeek Barhom as James
 * Tzachi Halevy as Ephraim
 * Zohar Shtrauss as John
 * Michael Moshonov as Matthew
 * Ariane Labed as Rachel
 * Theo Theodoridis as Lazarus
 * Gaspare Alfano
 * Daniele Diez
 * Giovanni Cirfiera

Production
In February 2016, Rooney Mara joined the cast of the film portraying the role of Mary Magdalene, with Garth Davis directing the film, Universal Pictures, Film4 Productions and See-Saw Films will co-produce the film, with Iain Canning and Emile Sherman serving as producers. In April 2016, Joaquin Phoenix was in talks to portray the role of Jesus Christ. In July 2016, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim joined the cast of the film. In September 2016, Hadas Yaron joined the cast of the film. Hildur Guðnadóttir and Jóhann Jóhannsson composed the film's score, the latter's final score before his death in February 2018.

Filming
Principal photography began on October 3, 2016 and concluded on December 2, 2016. The film was shot in Rome and in multiple locations in Southern Italy including Matera in Basilicata, Gravina in Puglia in Apulia, Trapani in Sicily and Naples in Campania.

Release
In February 2016, it was announced Focus Features will distribute the film worldwide except for New Zealand and Australia, where The Weinstein Company and Transmission Films will distribute, respectively. It was originally scheduled to be released in the United States and Canada on November 24, 2017. In August 2017, the release was pushed back to March 30, 2018, In January 2018, it was pulled from the schedule. In March 2018, it was announced The Weinstein Company would no longer distribute the film, and the producers were attempting to find another distributor to release the film.

The film had its world premiere at the National Gallery on February 26, 2018. It screened at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival on February 28, 2018. It was released in the United Kingdom on March 16, 2018, and in Australia on March 22, 2018.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes. Mary Magdalene holds an approval rating of 41% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Mary Magdalene has obvious reverence for its subject; unfortunately, it lacks enough momentum or depth of character to make her story interesting." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".