Setting out to tell the story of Jesus’ last days from the point of view of the only woman among the apostles is the brave and interesting aim of Garth Davis’ “Mary Magdalene.”
At the film’s premiere in London last year — the film’s U.S. release was delayed due to the bankruptcy of its former distributor, The Weinstein Company — the Australian director claimed his film would “celebrate the remarkable spiritual contribution of Mary that has remained hidden for 2,000 years.” Again, a laudable ambition had it not been revealed a few minutes before that the National Gallery, the venue for the event, held no less than 50 painted images of Mary Magdalene on its walls.