Last Days in the Desert

If you want to see a low budget gem of a movie, watch "Last Days in the Desert" where Ewan McGregor plays both Jesus and Satan. There is something compelling about watching a man on a journey, especially on a journey to find himself. Actually, this is not a very religious movie. There are no miracles. The question of Jesus's divinity is left up to the viewer to decide. He could just be a crazy man wandering the desert. The final scene feels out of place because the movie goes straight from the Crucifixion to modern-day tourists taking snapshots of the same desert Jesus supposedly wandered in. Had they given us a hint of resurrection, even a slight stirring under the burial cloth, it would have given the movie a religious meaning. Such an ending, regardless of if you believe or not, would be a satisfying conclusion to the story because it would have shown that everything that went before it served a purpose. Instead, the story is ambiguous.

Rating: B+