The Chosen . . . Are Few

I have been around long enough to have seen many iterations of the life story of Jesus Christ through several different media. From movies that paint broad strokes of the Messiah’s three-year ministry and human interactions, to TV programs that attempt to have a more in-depth look at His life, work, death, and resurrection, there has not been a shortage of big screen releases and small screen adaptations.

What has been in some level of shortage though in the last decade of faith-based projects are relatable depictions of Bible characters, compelling narratives, and good, solid scripting. Personally, the last, great piece of media based on the life of Jesus that I have come across — and come to love — was Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

That was 16 years ago. It’s high time we had a follow-up.

As a lover of movies and TV series for most of my life — all 45 years of it — I would like to think that I have, over the years, developed a discerning taste for good entertainment based on several production values that I am going to mention and use here as metrics for my review of the series The Chosen.

SUBJECT MATTER

Although not as immediately important to me as some of the other elements in great entertainment are, the overall and overarching theme of a visual storytelling project is the one that tends to stay with me the longest after the credits have all been rolled out on a film or a show’s series finale.

The Chosen tackles the oft-trodden path of (re)telling the life story of Jesus and how He recruits his band of merry men (and one ‘Mary’ woman) at the onset of His three-year ministry. For sure, it is a timeless subject matter that can be — and has been — told over and over again. The tricky part is retooling the storytelling method without deconstructing the essence of the source material. In that respect, I feel that the creators of this show have accomplished that.

The core message of the Gospels shines through in each episode of the show’s first season even though several artistic liberties have been taken to sort of put a fresh spin on the all-too-familiar narrative. If anything, those said liberties have done wonders in presenting the audience with a Gospel message that is undeniably clear, emotionally engaging, and universally appealing.

DIRECTION

I actually have very little knowledge of the technical definition of a director’s job, and this is not a professional or academic evaluation of The Chosen, but over the years of watching movies and TV shows, I have sort developed a good common sense of what good directing is in a film or television series.

For me a good director brings out the best performances from his actors, conveys ideas or emotions through the set up of the visual elements within each frame, and delivers a final output that is cohesive on every possible level. I feel like Dallas Jenkins does all of that in spades.

After my fourth viewing of Season 1, I can confidently say that there isn’t a single scene in The Chosen — and in The Shepherd, for that matter — that I would skip over as each of these are well-done. Whether the story focuses on Simon’s financial and marital problems, Matthew’s social isolation, or Nicodemus’s spiritual journey, Dallas ushers the viewer through each character and plot point as if he were personally introducing us to them in real life, while masterfully and seamlessly integrating the story and the audience throughout all eight episodes: there isn’t a scene or interaction that doesn’t have a purpose in the narrative; many of the foreshadowed moments are paid off really well at some point; and viewers get immersed in the journey of the characters, individually and corporately.

Overall, this initial set of stories in what is intended to be the first multi-season show on the life of Jesus Christ and His disciples is a coherent and refreshing take on the Gospel story that does not only entertain audiences, but also captivates them with brilliant directing.

Great job, Dallas! 

ACTING

Oh my goodness! The calibre of the talent on this show is high! I don’t think I have ever seen a film or TV project where all the major roles have been filled out by likeable, convincing, and committed actors: there isn’t a single portrayal that feels out of place or out of pace, especially when these actors come together in varying degrees of interaction in different moments throughout the show.

From the leads who appear in (almost) every episode, to supporting players who pop up every now and then, the thespians on The Chosen aren’t your average, ordinary, garden-variety actors: they feel more like individuals who were… uhm… chosen… to breathe life into these biblical characters; each one fitting their role to a T.

As a matter of fact, there is so much talent on this show that even the guest stars who only make one-episode appearances in Season 1 have turned in noteworthy portrayals, matching the intensity of their season-regular counterparts. Performances from Vanessa Benavente (as a delightfully down-to-earth Mother Mary in Episode 5), Vanessa DeSilvio (as Photina, the jaded and world-weary Samaritan woman in Episode 8), and Joey Vahedi (as a stringently pragmatic Thomas, also in Episode 5) have stood out and left an impression as they brought their characters to three-dimensional life.

Of the main cast — all of them exceptional — I will only talk about my top three favorite performances.

For obvious reasons, the character of Jesus and Jonathan Roumie’s performance have to come first. I think everything that can be said about the iteration of Jesus on The Chosen has been said in other reviews; so my words would just either be a reverberation of those that have come before or mere restatements. Nevertheless, I must say that JRou (yes! I want to make that a thing; after JLo and JLaw) brings a nuanced subtlety to his portrayal of the Messiah: the expression in his eyes (that pierces through your soul), his body language (equal parts strong and gentle), the tone of his voice (calm and kind, yet with authority and gravitas), and the delivery of his lines (in that infectious accent) all contribute to a fresh characterization of the Christ on visual media. The fact that this Jesus dances, cracks jokes, cooks, brushes his teeth, and does a number of other tasks that make up the human minutiae just makes this current depiction even more accessible to general audiences and very familiar to genuine followers of the Son of God. More importantly, I feel like Jonathan embodies what many believers recognize about our Lord and Savior: a regal but unassuming bearing; a genuine but unimposing charisma; a sharp but unabusive purposefulness. The consensus among viewers and fans of The Chosen is that this version of Jesus on this particular media is the best and most relatable by far. I agree!

Of course, you can’t go through all eight episodes of this season without noticing Shahar Isaac’s portrayal of Simon. You just can’t. He is a standout for two reasons: first, he has the most amount of screen time out of all the actors (it feels like it); second, he knocks it out of the park every time he comes out to play the elder son of Jonah. Watching him interact with the other actors — in particular Noah James’ Andrew (with their realistic and believable brotherly love), Lara Silva’s Eden (and their captivatingly convincing turn as a couple), and, of course, JRou’s Jesus (and how their teacher-student relationship begins to flourish beautifully) — while bringing different levels of vulnerability and bravado really helps to effectively sell the character of Simon and showcase Shahar’s acting chops. He also nails the physicality of the role as well as hit every emotional beat that comes with Simon’s excellently-written onscreen persona. An impressive actor he is, for sure, and on top of that, he apparently has mad skills on the bass guitar as evidenced by one of his Instagram posts. Like I said, the calibre of the talent on this show is high.

Finally, my third favorite performance throughout the season is brought to you by Erick Avari, who plays a fully fleshed out Nicodemus. Being the only cast member who has had decades of experience — and recognizability — as a film and television actor, Erick brings a seemingly effortless portrayal of the leader of the Pharisees that totally grips your emotional knobs, twisting it whichever way he wants to whether as the elegant and authoritative ‘Teacher of Teachers’, the sincere and awestruck admirer of the Messiah, or the broken man bawling like a child in the third quarter of Episode 8. I especially love his scene with Jonathan where Nicodemus has a late night soiree with Jesus on one of the rooftops in the city: their rapport and chemistry bouncing off of each other as performers is quite fascinating to behold. I also found Nicodemus’s character arc as one of the most interesting elements in this first season of The Chosen and it was made more mesmerizing because of Erick’s performance. 

Overall, The Chosen has a solid and impressive cast that accentuates the beautiful tapestry of the story it wants to tell. Perhaps I’ll write about the other actors as the other seasons of this show come out.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

You really got to give props to the Internet for making almost all sorts of knowledge and information available at the tip of your fingers. Prior to writing this article, I only had a vague understanding of what cinematography is and the part a director of photography plays in the entire filmmaking process. Thanks to a quick little online research, I have realized that my simple understanding of the scope of the director of photography’s work was on point: he’s responsible for making the finished product look visually sumptuous. On that note, I want to say that, cinematographically speaking, The Chosen is a feast for the eyes, and that Akis Konstantakopoulos has done a superb job.

There are several beautifully-shot scenes in The Chosen that immediately catch the eye: the Shabbat dinner montage in Episode 2; Jesus teaching the children, as well as glimpses of His pre-bedtime routine in Episode 3; the miracle of the fish, particularly the shot of Zebedee and his sons running on the shore in Episode 4; and the tender moment between Simon and Eden by and in the winepress in Episode 5, just to name a few.

My three favorite sequences in the show are as follows:

First, the wedding at Cana in Episode 5. Since it featured a lot of people — as guests of the celebration — it could have easily become a visually overwhelming scene with different characters moving about, dancing, serving food and drink, interacting with one another, entertaining guests, and so on and so forth. But the director of photography expertly placed everyone in specific spots of each frame in a way that does not distract the viewer from whichever character is highlighted at any given point in this segment of the episode. Even that faraway, mouthed ‘thank you’ from Mother Mary to Jesus, who was at the other side of the hall, felt close and intimate despite having other people around and in front of them. Thanks to the DOP.

Second, the nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus in Episode 7. This sequence is a standout for me because of the way the close up shots do not seem to be intrusive despite getting in the faces of the two actors involved, giving the viewers a look at each actor’s facial expression, and ultimately making the audience the invisible, emotionally invested participants in this clandestine meeting. The lighting in this sequence is also notable: although it happens at night with just a few ‘lamps’ around, the actors, their faces, and the set pieces are visible enough to give one a proper sense of the ambience of this encounter. And, of course, that Jedi robe on Jonathan was a nice touch (and apparently controversial on Instagram)!

Third, Jesus’s encounter with Photina, the Samaritan woman, at Jacob’s well in the season finale. Okay, to begin with, the team behind this show already had two dynamic actors in this one scene — that in itself was already a win. Then they put them in a beautiful shooting location, surround them with the necessary set pieces (the well, the jars, etc.) that are integral to the narrative, give them the proper blocking, flood them with the right amount of light, and capture their performances at the right angles. The result is a visually appealing and emotionally satisfying conclusion to an already impressive first season. In a word, perfect!

WRITING

As an English major, I highly appreciate and am drawn toward excellent writing in whatever form of storytelling I invest my time in to consume. In most cases, I can let lapses in other elements of a motion picture or television series slip by without having to rant about it, but when the writing is lackluster — or worse, awful — it totally affects my whole experience of getting immersed into the world creators of a film or a TV show are trying to draw me into. Bad writing equals poor narratives; poor narratives often mean lame conversations between characters; and when the characters and their predicaments do not resonate with me because of bad writing, the whole production — from my perspective — falls flat on its face.

Thankfully, this is not the case with The Chosen. Not at all! Praise Adonai for that!

If anything, this show soars high because of the first-rate writing, which for me is heaven on earth (pun intended, obviously). So, thank you very much Dallas Jenkins, Ryan Swanson, and Tyler Thompson for giving audiences an excellently-written Jesus narrative that shows us compelling (albeit semi-fictional) reasons why His disciples would totally abandon their lives as they knew it at the very moment the Messiah calls them to follow Him. I definitely would, too, at this point in my life.

Another thing about the writing in this show that I appreciate is the way the interactions between the characters are carefully crafted: none of it feels forced or haphazardly penned; conversations between them feel natural and sound pleasant to the ear; and some of the theological arguments presented therein are brought down to a level that most everyone will be able to understand.

And of course, the humor! I supremely enjoy the fact that this iteration of Jesus’s story has a lot of humor — a few even coming from the Nazarene Himself: “Even some things I cannot do.” “I’ll… go… see about the goat cheese.” “Normal Simon is difficult enough. Do you think I want to travel with a worried Simon?” The levity injected in certain moments of the show give it a pause and allow the audience a ‘temporary reprieve’ from the inherent seriousness of the source material.

Because of these elements in the writing of The Chosen — all done well — this show’s narrative trajectory feels properly balanced, giving viewers roughly eight hours of pleasurable bingeing.

MUSIC

As with other films or television shows, the quality of the musical score can either enhance or diminish the overall emotional ambience of the final output: a rousing orchestral piece can pull you into a character’s internal dilemma as easily as an uninteresting soundtrack can keep you out. Music is definitely ‘instrumental’ in taking visual media to another level. 

Before going any further, I just want to point out that I was quite beside myself when I saw Dan Haseltine’s name listed in the opening credits for his contribution to the show’s music. Being a massive Jars of Clay fan, I was pleasantly kvelled to know that this show has partaken of Dan’s musical and lyrical gifts, as well as his years of experience in the music industry. The Chosen’s two Season 1 songs — Walk on the Water and Trouble — and the score during the miracle of the fish sequence in Episode 4 (the one inspired by the Irish jig) are the fabulous results of that.

The musical score throughout the entire first season delivers the right amounts of subtlety and intensity where they are needed, enhancing the viewer’s experience of the story with strategically situated crescendos and properly placed decrescendos. Plus, the splendid use of Ruby Amanfu’s vocals — generously spread throughout the episodes — lends itself delicately to the overarching sonic motif of The Chosen. In particular, the combination of the score (courtesy of Dan Haseltine and Matt Nelson) and the vocal stylings of Ms. Amanfu in the fifth episode’s ‘Party Montage’ track is one that has stood out for me among the show’s stirring musical moments.

This show does not only look good; it sounds good, too.

MESSAGE

Entertainment for entertainment’s sake is fine. We have a lot of that going around with all the original projects that cable networks and streaming platforms produce year in and year out. But to excellently create something that pleases the visual and aural senses, captivates — and holds in place — the thoughts and emotions of viewers while conveying a worthwhile message is a feat that requires more than just human talent and skill: it needs divine guidance to ensure the final output accomplishes what it has initially set out to do, as this show has clearly achieved.

It’s no secret that The Chosen is all about spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God to as many people as possible, as series creator Dallas Jenkins frequently expresses in many of his vlogs — something I am grateful for as it removes any room for doubt as to the show’s true objective. The fact that the series just happens to be entertaining and engaging is an added bonus for me; but what I find most important is the thematic content that this series has so far been able to — again, in my opinion — brilliantly convey.

The Chosen has presented a depiction of Jesus Christ that is — as many have already said — very down-to-earth and relatable. His message of love, forgiveness, healing, acceptance, and redemption has only been made more accessible and unambiguous because this recent version of the Messiah on visual media is one that many people from all walks of life — and varying degrees of sinfulness (“Everyone is sinful.”) — can relate to.

This is the character and the message of the Jesus I know from the Bible!

This is the ultimate reason the show completely resonates with me: I recognize the strength, the kindness, the compassion, the mercy, the humanity, and the divinity of my Lord. Every single time Jesus appears in an episode to forgive someone, heal them of their sicknesses, drive out their demons, teach them about His Kingdom, restore their faith and dignity, I feel like He is personally ministering to me. No other television series has ever done that.

The Chosen is undoubtedly anointed and appointed for such a time as this! Projects like this are truly few and far between, and I am glad to be part of the generation that gets to witness this narrative unfold.

So, to conclude this rather lengthy first season review, I want to say an appropriate biblical reference to the creators of this show to somehow encapsulate my gratitude for their creative output, and what this show means to me and my spiritual journey:

Well done, good and faithful ‘chosen’ ones! Enter into the joy of producing Season 2!