By Lindsey Bahr, Film Writer
PARK CITY, Utah (AP) --Epic is not usually a term associated with films coming out of the Sundance Film Festival, which makes director Rodrigo Garcia's imagined story of Jesus's journey through the desert even more striking.
Shot by "Gravity" and "Birdman" cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki in southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and aided by precise and all-encompassing Dolby Atmos sound mix, "Last Days in the Desert" looks, feels and sounds big. How could a story of that takes on both Jesus and the devil (both played by Ewan McGregor) and their relationship to God not be? But for Garcia, it's just a small family drama.
In the film, Jesus comes across a family living in the middle of the desert and becomes involved in their lives for a brief time. The mother (Ayelet Zurer) is dying, the father (Ciarán Hinds) is a stoic isolationist, and the son (Tye Sheridan) longs to leave for a life in Jerusalem.
"The desert is a big setting, but the story is super interpersonal about these relationships," Garcia said. "In some ways it is a kitchen sink drama, even if one of the dads is God."
Garcia thought of shooting in Israel, but for various reasons, including costs, it just wasn't going to be feasible for the production. "I didn't want it to look like an American western desert, the way Colorado and Utah look," he said.
After hours of exhaustive online searches, he stumbled across the almost alien landscapes of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and knew he had it.
In addition to Lubezki's striking cinematography, the desert world is made more real through sound.
"There's very little music and almost no dialogue in the first part of the movie. It presented a lot of great opportunities for creative sound design," said Dolby Institute director Glenn Kiser. The film was remixed with the sophisticated system thanks to a grant from the Dolby Family Sound Fellowship.
But a small character drama like "Last Days in the Desert" lives and dies by its lead. Garcia knew that McGregor had the right combination intelligence, compassion and empathy to portray Jesus and the devil.
"It's quite an extraordinary situation to be playing two roles in any film. It's quite daunting when one of them is Jesus," said McGregor following Sunday's premiere of the film.
But Garcia also knew that he would eventually have to explain why he cast a white actor in the role.
"I am sensitive to the fact that so many times and in many egregious ways white actors have played non-white characters. But I felt like I could take that liberty because I was not doing the historical Jesus, I was not doing a divine Jesus. I was doing a parable," he said.
"I understand the question. I can only put myself at the mercy of the court. I myself couldn't care if I go see an all-black 'Hamlet' for example," Garcia said.
As a Colombian-born and Mexico-raised director living in Los Angeles, Garcia said that there are Mexican and Colombian stories that he would love to tell on screen, but he hasn't really gotten the opportunity to do so yet. "So far it's been easier to make films in English, honestly, just from a fundraising point of view," he said.
For now, though, he's content to stay in the independent world. It's the only way he's been able to tell the stories that he wants to tell.
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this year’s AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckis’ Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
“At the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. “We look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.”
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo Larraín, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the world’s most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More