Have A Little Faith In ‘The Messiah’

The second coming or one big fat con? This is the question at the centre of Netflix’s ‘The Messiah’ (2020). A 10-episode thriller that imagines what may or may not be the return of Jesus.

Beginning in Damascus where a street preacher accurately predicts the city’s escape from Islamic State, the film chronicles the astonishing rise of Al-Masih played enigmatically by Mehdi Dehbi.

Staring, stoic, long-haired and mysterious, Al-Masih seems able to read minds, escape from prison, heal the wounded and even walk on water. His biblical feats earn him a holy name and pursuit by the CIA and the Israeli police who lock him up when he walks his followers through the desert to the Israeli border before disappearing from a locked cell.

Initially framing these events as miraculous, the series eventually begins to unravel Al-Masih’s story. CIA agent Eva Gellar, played by Michelle Monaghan, leads the sceptical charge and viewers are prompted to answer a deeply personal question: If the Messiah returned, would I believe or would I be full of doubt?

Though the return of a Christ figure to the modern world is an interesting premise, ‘The Messiah’ does get a little sluggish as it delves into the lives of less compelling side characters and subplots.

Still the question of how the second coming would be received in today’s religious and political milieu is one worthy of answering. Will the Messiah be called a terrorist? Will he suddenly appear in the Unites States and be arrested for being an illegal immigrant? Will people gather a la Wasco, Oregon, just to be near him? Who will he allow to document his travels on social media?

Drawing on Bible stories such as Christ’s famed walk on water, the Exodus, the beloved prostitute and Doubting Thomas, ‘The Messiah’ is clever at turns and elevated by the intensity of its characters, who struggle for the power and recognition inherent in being close to someone who is essentially a god.

For viewers of faith, the series, which draws from various religions and even equalises them as Al-Masih declares he walks with all men, ‘The Messiah’ may seem blasphemous and indeed some Muslim communities have received it negatively as prophets of Islam are not to be depicted.

Others, however, may find ‘The Messiah’ to be an intriguing rumination on faith, our readiness for the second coming and our growing scepticism in a world consumed by conflict and politics. In ‘The Messiah’ a seemingly miraculous man comes in peace and, though sceptics offer a counterpoint, it is somewhat alarming how quickly Al-Masih gains a following and how desperate a failed world seems for leadership, a saviour and perhaps even the Messiah.

Already tapped for a second season and serving up a visually striking cliffhanger worthy of the effort, ‘The Messiah’ is a bingeable little series full of miracles and a little misdirection.

‘The Messiah’ (2020) is now streaming on Netflix.

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