For the last several days, I have been watching a series called The Chosen. It's free to watch, but they do need donations to keep making more episodes.
The Chosen is about the disciples of Jesus, and the things they struggle with before and after he meets them. They have made these people more relatable to our day. For example, Simon is a fisherman who is overwhelmed by the taxes he owes to the Romans. He's on the verge of losing his boat and house because he isn't catching near enough fish. Simon is desperate to get out of this mess, so he resorts to gambling, fishing on the sabbath, and making deals with the Romans. This deal involves reporting on his fellow fisherman to the Romans to get them in trouble for fishing on the sabbath. For the information, the Romans will reduce his tax debt. However, he doesn't follow through with betraying his friends, and the Romans aren't happy.
Simon tries to hide all this from his wife who is already upset. She knows something isn't right. In desperation, he goes out all night to fish and catches nothing. Some of his friends also come to help, but still nothing. Meanwhile, Simon's brother keeps trying to tell him about John and the Baptizer and that the Messiah is here, but Simon won't listen. As the sun rises, he expects to be arrested soon.
Doesn't this sound like what happens to so many people in our modern day? It's just a different time and place. Each character has a problem that someone in our time is going to relate to, and that's what I like about it. Problems range from mental illness, bad attitudes, sicknesses, physical disabilities, being prejudice and more.
I want to see how the characters change. A character arc is what makes a good story. Also Jesus is portrayed as a regular guy in many ways. It comes across as more down to Earth than other Bible movies.
You will have to watch to see what happens next. I've been going to the website, but I think you can get this on Roku as well.
They'd probably get more funding if the Catholic church would condemn it like The Da Vinci Code. Or if busloads of church groups start watching it like Passion of the Christ.
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