The Young Messiah (2016)

Tells the story of Jesus Christ at age seven as he and his family depart Egypt to return home to Nazareth. Told from his childhood perspective, it follows young Jesus as he grows into his religious identity.

Director:

Cyrus Nowrasteh

Writers:

Anne Rice (novel), Betsy Giffen Nowrasteh (screenplay)

Stars:

Adam Greaves-Neal, Vincent Walsh, Sara Lazzaro

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Greaves-Neal	...	Jesus
Sara Lazzaro	...	Mary
Vincent Walsh	...	Joseph
Finn Ireland	...	James (as Finn McLeod Ireland)
Christian McKay	...	Cleopas
Agni Scott	...	Miriam
Lois Ellington	...	Salome
Jane Lapotaire	...	Old Sarah
Duné Medros	...	Riba (as Dune Medros)
Rory Keenan	...	The Demon
Sean Bean	...	Severus
Clive Russell	...	Weer
Jonathan Bailey	...	Herod
David Bradley	...	Old Rabbi (Nazareth)
David Burke	...	The Blind Rabbi

Storyline

At the age of 7, Jesus Bar-Joseph lives with his family in Alexandria, Egypt, where they have fled to avoid a massacre of children by King Herod of Israel. Jesus knows that his parents Joseph and Mary have secrets they are keeping from him, secrets about his birth and about traits that make him very different from other boys. His parents, however, believe him too young to grasp the truth of his miraculous birth and purpose. Learning that the murderous Herod is dead, they set out to return to their home of Nazareth in Israel, unaware that Herod's namesake son is, like his father, determined to see the boy Jesus dead.

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Plot Keywords:

israel | jesus christ | messiah | based on novel | 

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Taglines:

Discover the savior when he was a child.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG - 13 for some violence and thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,294,876, 13 March 2016, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$6,462,576, 17 April 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,313,697, 31 December 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

1492 Pictures, CJ Entertainment, Hyde Park International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Satan is referred as "The Demon" in this film's credits.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Salome: For a camel, you make a triangle like this.
[drawing in the dirt]
Salome: That's the hump. It's so easy. See? Then some lines for legs here. Teacher taught me how to do this. He showed me elephants and cats, too. But I told him you like camels. That's the neck.
[looking up]
Salome: You're not watching. Then on top, I put another triangle for a head. They have big round eyes and a skinny tail here.

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Soundtracks

Barcheinu Avinu
Written by Shlomo Carlebach (as Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach), BMI
Used with the permission of the Estate of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

User Reviews

Jesus has no clue he's the Son of God.

Be informed! The Young Messiah's high production quality probably makes its content more disturbing, because many people will see it and form a concept of Jesus from it. Like The Da Vinci Code, the film—based on a novel by Anne Rice (Interview With the Vampire)—is loosely based on Gnostic texts widely deemed heretical. (In those texts, the boy Jesus strikes a playmate dead and then resurrects him, makes clay birds alive, etc.) The story's main premise is that young Jesus has no clue he's the Son of God. As in the Harry Potter saga, the young hero gradually discovers his supernatural powers and struggles to control them and to discover his destiny. Yet it's being billed as a "Christian-themed" Easter film and even being supported by some big ministry groups. Mary and Joseph try to protect Jesus from the backlash from his accidental miracles. In a totally fictional suspense subplot, Herod discovers Jesus' name, age, home, and family and sends a Roman soldier to track and kill him. Don't be bamboozled—read the Bible for yourself.