After four weeks of Hallmark knock-offs, Netflix has a different kind of Christmas movie releasing today: Mary, the new epic biblical drama that began streaming today.
Directed by D.J. Caruso, with a screenplay written by Timothy Michael Hayes, Mary tells the story of the mother of Jesus Christ, from her own blessed conception to the miraculous birth of Baby Jesus. Israeli actress Noa Cohen stars as Mary, a young Jewish girl who is chosen by God to be “the vessel of the Messiah.” Israeli actor Ido Tako plays her loving husband, Joseph, and two-time Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins plays the tyrannical King Herod, who is determined to stop the coming of this rumored son of God.
Obviously, this is a familiar story to most, and an especially familiar story to Christians. But even the most faithful Bible scholars may find themselves confused, thanks to the creative license taken by Mary. Read on for a full explanation of the Mary plot summary and Mary ending explained.
Warning: Bible spoilers ahead!
Mary is a retelling of the biblical story of the mother of Jesus Christ. The movie opens with Mary’s father, Joachim (played by Israeli actor Ori Pfeffer), begging God to bless him with a child. Joachim is visited by the angel Gabriel (played by British actor Dudley O’Shaughnessy). Gabriel tells Joachim that God will give him a child, if he agrees to one day let that child go to be a servant of God. Joachim agrees, and he and his wife Anne (Israeli actor Hilla Vidor) have a baby girl. They name her Mary.
When Mary is a teenager, Gabriel tells Joachim it’s time to honor his end of the deal. Joachim dutifully delivers Mary to the Temple in Jerusalem, where she vows to stay a virgin and spend her life serving God. While living at the temple, Mary meets Joseph (played by Israeli actor Ido Tako), who falls in love with her on the spot. He asks Joachim for her hand in marriage. Joachim denies him at first, but then Joseph reveals that a man in a blue robe—aka the angel Gabriel—pushed Joseph to meet her. Joachim realizes God must want Mary and Joseph to marry, and agrees. So they get engaged!
Meanwhile, the tyrannical King Herod (Anthony Hopkins) has his wife Mariamne (played by Israeli actor Mili Avital) executed, and takes over the Temple in Jerusalem as his own temple, declaring himself more important than the Lord. Herod’s heard rumors that Mary is “vessel of the Messiah,” and he doesn’t like that one bit.
Even though Mary keeps her vows and stays a virgin, she learns that she is pregnant. You’ve probably heard about that whole immaculate conception thing before. Because no one will believe that she has been magically made pregnant with the child of God, and because she could be killed for breaking her vows, Mary’s mother sends her to stay with her Aunt Elizabeth (played by Israeli actor Keren Tzur), who is also miraculously pregnant, despite her old age. (Real Bible fans know she will give birth to John the Baptist.)
When Joseph hears Mary is pregnant, he’s angry at first. But when an angry mob attacks her, he steps up to protect her, and vows to stay with her and love her. Mary and Joseph go ahead with the wedding. Zealots come looking for the pregnant Mary, having heard the rumor that she will give birth to the Messiah. They kill Mary’s father.
Mary and Joseph flee to Bethlehem, where there is no vacancy at any inn, due to an influx of people in town for the rumored birth of the Messiah. Mary is nearly kidnapped by Satan, but Joseph slays the devil and rescues his wife. They take shelter in a barn, where Mary gives birth to Baby Jesus.
A shepherd who witnessed the birth reports to King Herod that he saw an angelic light when Jesus was born, and that hundreds of worshipers have descended on the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Messiah. It sure sounds like the real deal! Herod orders his army to kill every male infant in the town of Bethlehem. That should take care of things… right?
Herod’s army storms into Bethlehem and begins ripping babies away from mothers. We don’t actually see any babies getting murdered, but assume that is happening off-screen. Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus flee to Egypt. On their way to Egypt, they stop to eat and rest. In a scene that—as far as I’m aware—does not appear in the Bible, Herod’s men catch up to Mary and Joseph. They kill the kind couple who is hiding them, and burn down the house.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus once again escape, action-movie style. They literally run through a wall of fire! Who knew Mary was such an action hero?
Meanwhile, back at Herod’s temple, his army has brought him a bunch of infant babies. Huh? I thought they killed those babies!
In a bizarre attempt to both honor and soften the biblical story, Herod’s soldiers in this movie apparently “slaughtered all the male children, except the newborns.” Instead of killing the newborns, they kidnapped them and brought them to Herod’s temple. I’m no biblical scholar, but I’m pretty sure that’s not how the story goes.
It doesn’t really make much sense, given that the child Herod most wanted out of the picture was, in fact, a newborn. But it seems Mary director D.J. Caruso decided that the Massacre of the Innocents was just too dark for a TV-14 Netflix movie. When Herod’s men tell him none of these babies are the Messiah, and that Baby Jesus got away, Herod throws a fit. His men seemingly abandon him. He falls to the ground in despair.
Meanwhile, Mary decides that, actually, she doesn’t want to go to Egypt. She wants to bring Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem. (This is really just a way to condense the story, so that the movie can end with “Presentation of Jesus,” an occasion some Christians celebrate 40 days after Christmas.) At the temple, they are welcomed into the city by Anna the Prophetess (played by English actor Susan Brown), aka prophet who foretold the coming of Jesus.
Mary presents Jesus at the temple. An old man, Simeon (played by David Gaent), tells her, “This child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel. And he will be opposed.” This is a direct quote from Luke 2:34, in which Simeon says this to Mary at Jesus’ circumcision.
Mary is a bit shaken by this interaction, but nevertheless presents Jesus to Baba ben Buta (played by Mehmet Kurtuluş), the temple teacher who was blinded by Herod. The movie ends with a voice-over narration from Mary: “Love will cost you dearly. It will pierce your heart. But in the end, love will save the world.” Merry Chrysler!