The Body

"All I wanted to do was dig a basement!" pleads Palestinian shopkeeper Nasir (Makram J. Khoury) upon discovering that beneath his store lies an ancient tomb that may contain the unresurrected body of Jesus Christ. It's up to the Vatican's faithful envoy Father Gutierrez (Antonio Banderas) and rational Jewish archeologist Sharon Golban (Olivia Williams) to determine whether or not the bones inside really do belong to the Messiah, as all the evidence suggests. Naturally, religious fanatics of all stripes will stop at nothing to manipulate this discovery for their own ends. Writer-director Jonas McCord has been trying to make this adaptation of Richard Ben Sapir's novel for 15 years, and one can understand why the project has taken so long: Its potentially inflammatory material is handled in a serious fashion that may seem too draggy for the average viewer. And since the film sets up questions that can't be answered, it's a foregone conclusion that the ending won't be entirely satisfactory. Nonetheless, it's a heartfelt and powerful examination of faith that no serious student or enthusiast of theology or philosophy should miss (others might want to give it a look as well), and Serge Colbert's atmospheric score is phenomenal. Banderas, playing insecure for once, reminds us that he can act more than just macho, and Derek Jacobi and Jason Flemyng turn in strong supporting performances as his fellow priests. Just one question: Aren't there any Christians who don't take the resurrection literally? A few inserted in the on-screen mix of characters might have added balance.