I do not like television. Even things with likable and relatively clean stories and characters end up having an underlying thread weaving through them that excuses and often glorifies some sort of sin. Call it a weak conscience or legalism, but I am so desperate to eat and drink the Word and the presence of Christ, that I find nothing of nutritional value in the overwhelming majority of film, and it often leaves a bad taste in my mouth to boot.
Segue into a review of one of two glorious exceptions to this rule (the other, unsurprisingly, being The Pilgrim's Progress). I automatically go into any film about Biblical events skeptically. It is such an easy thing to get terribly wrong on a subject that is life or death truth.
Starting out,
The Chosen acknowledges that it is fiction. This is not the inspired Word of God, nor is it to be taken as such or used as a substitute for getting to know Jesus through His own revelation. Most of the scenes and dialogue are not words of Scripture, although there it is designed to give honor to Scripture, and there are direct quotes interlaced throughout the scenes. The goal is to establish some cultural and situational context for what might have been the very personal stories of how the people of the New Testament came to know Jesus and what He did for them.
What immediately stands out the most is the "tone" of the character of Jesus and His effect on others. Very often, Biblical films can have a very somber or too casual a personality for Jesus. It's an understandable difficulty. How can you sum up the Word Made Flesh through scripting and mannerisms portrayed in one hour blocks? They do an excellent job of portraying Him as humble, honest, faithful, and loving in so many ways.
The character development is excellent. Many Biblical films have the goal of making the events on film as accurate to the situation as possible. The Passion and The Nativity Story had to this to get the point of what actually happened across, but the level of violence and fear that have to be on screen in order to make that point can polarize characters in the minds of a modern audience and make it harder to sift through emotions and situations that would actually be very familiar to us. The Chosen sets aside most of the violence that would have been prevalent in occupied Israel so that it can focus more on the struggles of the individual characters. There isn't really a "bad guy" although you can see what Rome is in the minds of the characters, and violence is hinted at in the face of potential conflict. I as the audience did not feel anger any time the Romans were on the scene. Because of this, each of the characters in the context of their background is showing the difference between surrendering to Jesus and living life your own way. Each has friends to one degree or another, a unique story and personality, and (the real enemy that is highlighted) a very fatal flaw that we might excuse away, but that stands between themselves and Christ.
I'm not Jewish, so I can only say from what I've heard, but the relationships between characters, especially of the same family really draw from the dry wit and family roles that seem to be such a large part of a tight-knit Jewish culture. Each role is so unique that you can't really group them into the categories of man, woman, Jewish, Roman, Pharisee, or fisherman based on how they act. You really feel as though you're being drawn into a community that has been full of real people since time out of mind.
There is an excellent balance between cultural context and "modernization". The language is artfully updated, and there are sets that are draw parallels to places we might frequent today without feeling like they were slapped on with a Biblical decorating scheme. Of course, there is more physical affection then we usually expect (which would be accurate except between unattached men and women), but it really helps to gently portray without words the love that Jesus has for His children. Each episode begins with a flashback to an earlier Biblical event, or something from the lives of the characters or Jewish background for a cultural norm. This really is wonderful for highlighting some things (like the bronze serpent made by Moses) that we might not understand or pick up on unless we are very familiar with the Bible and its cultural and historical context. Even being the nerd that I am, the way things were portrayed sparked comparisons that I had not before considered, and were great topics of discussion for me and Mom as we binged the entire season until almost four in the morning.
The one thing that gave me pause, given how much I love studying the historical and cultural context of Scripture is that the land didn't always match up with what it likely would have been in the Bible. Sometimes water is drawn from a well just by dipping a cup arm's length over the edge, or there are loads of palm trees in a place that is called an unforgiving land, so I stop and think, "well, actually..." Those points actually don't bother me that much, since not every rabbit trail of exposition can be followed in the scope of one project, and I know it could easily distract from the main thrust of the scene. Once, one of the guys had what I knew to be a tactical scarf wrapped around his head that was the same as one my brother has. That was a bit distracting, but otherwise completely irrelevant.
This show makes me excited to go out and share my faith more, because, having grown up in the church, it reminds me of what it could be like for someone reading the Bible for the very first time, and how much unimagined joy and hope and life Jesus gives to every person who is lost and broken without Him. It's crowdfunded, so I'm really really praying that they get enough to make season two, and then hopefully go all of the way through the book of Acts.
Please watch this show.
