A look at the new "Last Supper" film

at Word on Fire

From Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth to Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, there are dozens of films about the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. Even a multi-season series, The Chosen, enjoys continued success. And this April, The Chosen’s former partner, Angel Studios, will release the animated King of Kings about Jesus featuring an all-star cast of voices.

Into this crowded field steps The Last Supper, a new film directed by Mauro Borrelli landing in theaters this Friday, March 14. But what instantly sets this movie apart is its unique focus on the events of Holy Thursday, seeing Christ’s ministry before that evening—and even his Passion and Resurrection after it—in its mysterious light. It’s an approach that’s had broad ecumenical appeal: Though Borrelli is Catholic, and the film doesn’t shy away from a deeply Eucharistic cadence, the film boasts an executive producer credit from Baptist Christian singer Chris Tomlin, who hailed the project as “biblically right on the money” and “bring[ing] God’s word to life.”

At the heart of the journey are the intertwining but ultimately divergent paths of two of Christ’s Apostles: Peter and Judas, memorably played by James Oliver Wheatley and Robert Knepper. Indeed, while the Last Supper remains the dramatic center, this movie could just as easily have been titled Peter and Judas.

Read the rest at Word on Fire.