The Small Film Review: Risen (2016)

The Crucifixion of Saint Peter by Lorenzo Monaco, ca. 1390. Public domain. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

As far as we know from science, the dead do not come back to life. Nonetheless, when Roman Tribune Clavius, tasked by Pontius Pilate with finding the body of Jesus, walks in on the post-execution Nazarene alive and well partway through Risen, it’s one of the film’s most narratively moving moments. I also find I can’t shake the image of Simon Peter joyously striking out across the wilderness to spread the Good News, given how he would, according to the apocryphal The Acts of Peter, end up a martyr, crucified upside-down. Actor Joseph Fiennes does little more than grimly walk through this one, yet his expressive eyes do a lot of the film’s heavy lifting. Expect subpar fare, get a solid film. Rating: 3/5