Review of The Nativity Story (2006) by Timothy S — 22 Dec 2011

I enjoy watching this film. It beautfiully and reverently tells the Christmas story as a love story between Joseph and Mary, within the parameters of the Biblical accounts (with some small inaccuracies) and church traditions.

It especially explores the concept of what the Bible means by calling Joseph "a righteous man," who was "minded to divorce her privately." It tastefully contextures that Joseph won Mary's respect and love through steadfast goodness and his belief in the Lord's word.

I found the depiction of Herod and his motives to be believably sinister. The settings and customs are also compellingly believable as 1st century Galilee and Judea. It is reverently slow moving and emphasizes the ruggedness and austerity of life in the period and deepens appreciation for how the characters would have reacted to the events.

It does seem to be set up as a series of "postcards" culminating in a Nativity scene, but I see this as a strength of the film, as it admits it is not the first to tell the story (and could never believably pretend to do so) and allows for moments of reverence and reflection.

It does what it sets out to do, give a reverent portrayal of one of the most well-known stories in history, while deepening our appreciation for the psychological and spirtual turmoil of the main characters.