Last Days in the Desert

Name: Last Days in the Desert
Genre: Adventure, Drama, History
Released: May 13, 2016
Duration: 98 min
Rating: 67
Cast: Ayelet Zurer, Ciarán Hinds, Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan

2016

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Generally favorable reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Ratings

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Ratings

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Last Days In The Desert

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Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date: May 13, 2016 | PG-13

Starring: Ayelet Zurer, Ciarán Hinds, Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan

Summary: In an imagined chapter from his 40 days of fasting and praying in the desert, Jesus struggles with the Devil over the fate of a family in crisis, setting for himself a dramatic test.

Director: Rodrigo García

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama, History

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 98 min

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Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday

May 12, 2016

The mystical and the mundane come together with captivating force in Last Days in the Desert, Rodrigo Garcia’s thoughtful, intriguingly layered interpretation of the Gospel stories of Jesus’s confrontation with the devil while fasting and praying in the Judean desert. Read full review

Justin Chang

Feb 1, 2015

Deliberately paced, sparely imagined and suffused with mystery, writer-director Rodrigo Garcia’s seventh feature is nonetheless quite lucid and accessible in its themes of empathy, compassion and sacrifice, and grounded by a Christ/Satan dual performance by Ewan McGregor that plays vastly better onscreen than it sounds on paper. Read full review

Stephen Holden

May 12, 2016

Whether or not you accept the tenets of Christianity, Last Days in the Desert, Rodrigo García’s austere depiction of the temptations of Christ, offers a quietly compelling portrait of the human side of Jesus. Read full review

The Playlist Rodrigo Perez

Feb 1, 2015

An admirable and touching picture, Last Days In The Desert can be deeply moving in moments, but as restrained and elegant as it is, the picture never quite transcends. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Susan Wloszczyna

May 13, 2016

At the very least, we should give thanks that an almighty cinematographer like Emmanuel Lubezki, who has won a record three consecutive Oscars for his work on “Gravity,” “Birdman” and “The Revenant,” exists. Read full review

Robert Abele

May 13, 2016

At times a beautiful wandering, at other times an admirable character study, but rarely a powerful whole. Read full review

Kyle Smith

May 12, 2016

I tried squinting. Didn’t work. I turned my head slightly to the side. Uh-uh. No matter what I tried, I could not, cannot and never will be able to see Ewan McGregor as Jesus Christ. Read full review

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User Reviews

TheQuietGamer

Aug 7, 2016

Slow-paced and quite odd in some parts, this original tale that takes place during Jesus' 40 days in the desert succeeds thanks to a complex little drama and a very human depiction of Jesus. We get to see as a person genuinely looking for answers and trying to find out who he is. It's reallySlow-paced and quite odd in some parts, this original tale that takes place during Jesus' 40 days in the desert succeeds thanks to a complex little drama and a very human depiction of Jesus. We get to see as a person genuinely looking for answers and trying to find out who he is. It's really quite powerful to think of Jesus as looking for answers from God just like any normal person would do.

Ewan McGregor gets a double role as both Jesus and the devil. While he brings depth to both characters, it's his performance as satan where he really shines. Admittedly that's because he isn't given too much to do as Jesus. He really does a fantastic job in the role of jealous little trickster who's angry at God. The conversations between the two characters show a remarkable dynamic, especially given that they are both being portrayed by the same person. The best moments of the movie are when McGregor onscreen twice at the same time.

The story itself is rather small and slow. The rest of the cast is just as fantastic as McGregor, even if Tye Sheridan's odd character leads to a more confusing performance. I can't exactly say he was bad here. Just that there was something a little off with his acting.

The hardest part of this movie to enjoy is it's pacing. It can be incredibly slow at times, particularly in the very beginning. The movie starts off with nothing more than Jesus walking through the desert for an extended period of time. That is something that could very well turn off people before things even come close to getting started. Even then the plot moves very slowly.

However it's the complex human emotions that can keep one engaged in what is happening. Particularly where Jesus is concerned. Yes, McGregor may get to do more as the devil, but his and the writer and director Rodrigo Garcia's ability to make Jesus incredibly relatable to the average person is incredible. Particularly if the person has ever struggled with their faith in any way.

It's a slow drama for sure and definitely not for everyone. The only thing to keep you going early on outside of the beautiful cinematography is the potential for the story to go somewhere powerful. It does, but not on the surface. It's the underlying themes of temptation and humanity that keep things strong. top-notch performances and an excellent Jesus, devil dynamic keep things compelling even if the plot takes forever to get started and then go somewhere. All in all it's a pretty great drama for anyone that is okay with digging beneath a perhaps mundane setup. Religious belief of any form is not required to receive enjoyment from what is on display. Just a knowledge of who/what Jesus is supposed to be.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

Tyranian

Apr 11, 2019

Has some mildly profound moments but otherwise paints Jesus as a wandering semi-enlightened individual. Pointless.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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