Passion

Just watched "The Passion of the Christ" with family and a friend. I'm not sure how I feel. The wanton cruelty of the Roman soldiers, particularly those administering the initial punishment, clenched my stomach. The pain and indignity that followed still have my stomach in a knot and we left the cinema nearly 30 minutes ago.

I am surprised that we've become so jaded that several of us can sit through such a graphic representation of the horrible things we do to one another and happily munch away on popcorn. This didn't seem to me to be that sort of movie. The message of this screenplay was decidedly not about its entertainment value.

Usually, I will opt for a happy, even nonsensical escapist film. There's sufficient bad news in this world that I prefer to leave it behind when I am laying down my shekels for a movie. Still, I think I can safely suggest this as a viewing option for folks. Not young folks, certainly. What you see will stay with you for quite some time to come. But for those who eschew the book and wait for the movie, I believe the movie is here. And it hits with a punch missing in the prose. You won't likely view it many times, but see it once and let me know how you feel.