Reflection On The Passion Of The Christ

Jesus Christ is a religious figure that many individuals believe and take refuge in for hope. However, there is a misinterpretation in the Western world of showing Jesus as a white male. In response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a fear of Muslims and the Middle East began in America. In 2002 and 2003, the US was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. After watching The Passion of the Christ, I believe that this movie was partly created as a means to confront the fear of the Middle East by creating an understanding that Jesus, who is worshipped by countless Americans, was Middle Eastern and showing how brutal religious-related violence can be through its language, casting, and story. Perhaps Jesus being authentically shown as a Middle Eastern man that is a symbol of love and righteousness is utilized to produce respect for an ethnic group that the United States fears. An element of the film that supports this idea is the choice of language that the film's director, Mel Gibson, chose to
I believe that the elements of language, casting, and story all give the film a feeling of authenticity of Jesus' time and who he was by showing a historically righteous figure loved by many Americans as a Middle Easterner. The casting is comprised of an international cast who could pass for the ethnicities that they are portraying, the languages in the film are ones that were used at the time, and the story casts a light on the brutality of religious/political violence and how it can affect innocent people. Nevertheless, the story de-familiarizes Americans with the Westernized "white" version of Jesus through these elements by showing a more realistic portrayal to bring respect to the Middle Eastern cultures that are feared and show that in the midst of hostility, there is faith for a better