Joseph
The story of the life of Jesus Christ is probably one of the most significant movies that anyone should watch in his lifetime. Growing up in a religious family, I have seen it many times, from different versions of languages, nationalities, and perspectives. From Mary and Jesus Christ’s apostles, the story of his life has been very consistent with every depiction; Aside from that, these special characters were also given a highlight to tell their version of the story with movies featuring them as the lead character. Over the years, the depiction has been constant with simply retelling what happened in Jesus’ journey. And unfortunately, I have seen very little innovation on how it was told which is quite the challenge to make the younger generation inclined to watch it. That is until I got the chance to screen Alexander Diaz’s short film “Joseph” and honestly, I was immediately intrigued on how it will take me to the story, and it didn’t fail me. They gave me beyond what I am expecting.
Most of us know the fact that Joseph is the accounted father of Jesus Christ, who was conceived by immaculate conception through Mary. Joseph has been in the supporting role in almost all stories and films about Jesus Christ. There have been very little accounts told about him, and severely few movies that gave focused on his part in Jesus Christ’s journey. That is why I was very curious about this movie and why they took the risk of telling it from Joseph’s point of view.
The movie unveils with very captivating and dramatically beautiful cinematography. It was not the typical opening I used to watch, it made me feel that I am about to uncover something more than the mystical conception of Jesus. Director Alexander Diaz focused on the focal point of the unborn Jesus’ fate with the gravity of Joseph’s decision to father a child, not of his blood, but of his faith. This movie had enlightened me that Joseph is no supporting character in Jesus’ life and his journey. It gave me answers to questions about Joseph’s purpose and my curiosity of what if’s which satisfied every inch of my inquisitive mind.
The movie was thirteen-minute short yet every second counted well. Director Alexander Diaz creatively sequenced all the necessary highlight of Jesus’ journey. The phase was perfect, the way it transitioned from one event to another was on point and well-connected. I also admire the effort they put in for the costumes, it was exquisitely beautiful. But aside from those already excellent qualities, I’ve got three main factors that remarkably contributed to the excellence of the film. First is, of course, the ensemble cast. All did a spectacular job of making the presence of their character felt. John Goss and Abigayle Simpson, who stared as Joseph and the angel, made their mark on me as they owned their scenes together. Next is the special effects. It is quite new to me to see a film with this kind of story with special visual effects which did a surprising complement to the story. It added visual drama and energy to scenes. And last but not least, the cinematography. It was the best of all that I have seen, flawless, beautiful and top-notch quality, award-winning no less. Great job to director Alexander Diaz and the cast and crew of this amazing film!
