Nothing screams “Easter time!” like Willem Dafoe’s Jesus chatting up a nude Mary Magdalene, or a bacchanal of undulating zealots around John the Baptist. But if you’re as much of a fan of Martin Scorsese’s rambling religious films as I am, this is a seasonal must-see. Dafoe plays Christ with a fragile strength, surrounded by heavy hitters like David Bowie’s Pontius Pilate and the unfortunately bewigged Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot. It’s a perfect companion to last year’s Conclave Oscar-run, because isn’t it beautiful witnessing a God who doubts? Humanizing Jesus definitely drew ire from almost every Christian group around, but there’s a quiet power in making this mythic figure flesh. – Cat McCarrey
April 16, 18 & 19
