Genre: Historical/Biography/Drama
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: John Malone
Cast: Tom Hardy, Aidan Turner, Adele Exarchopoulos, Emily Browning, Paddy Considine, Tobias Menzies, Aidan Gillen, Bradley James, Levi Miller, Sophie Marceau, Aden Young, Marc-Andre Grondin
Plot: 30 AD. In the town Kerioth, Judas Iscariot (Tom Hardy) is burying his brother's body in a valley as his brother's tearful wife, Martha (Adele Exarchopoulos), watches on, holding an infant. Once the body is buried, John begins placing a mound of stones upon the grave. Afterward, Judas is exhausted and covered in dirt. He looks over to Martha and tells her that he will be her husband to her now and a father to her child, stating that his brother would have wanted it this way. Martha acts coldly toward Judas but allows Judas into her home and into her bed. That night they consummate their new arrangement by having sex. Judas puts his mouth over Martha's so that her moans do not wake the sleeping infant in the next room.
A carpenter by trade, Judas, spends the next day looking for carpentry work. He tries to explain that he now has a wife and child to provide for, but there appears to be no work to be found in the poor town of Kerioth. Resigned, he notices a large group of men traveling through town toward a hilltop. Judas decides to follow them for a bit. Once the group reaches the hill, their leader, Jesus of Nazareth (Aidan Turner). As Jesus readies himself to speak, Judas asks one of the men in the crowd, Simon Cephas (Paddy Considine), who the man is. Cephas explains that Jesus is a messenger from God who has come to Kerioth to spread the good word. Judas begins walking away as Jesus speaks, not particularly interested in religion. Jesus calls him out and asks why he walks away from his sermon. Judas says he simply doesn't believe it. Jesus asks Judas to explain. Judas says that men who claim to be speaking the words of God rarely follow their own preaching. Judas says that he has never seen a priest or preacher actually help the poor after imploring others to do so, and he has never seen one love his enemies or forgive those who have sinned or heal the sick, only judgment and persecution and blame. Jesus takes these words to heart and thanks Judas for his time and words. Jesus tells his followers and the others that everything Judas said is absolutely correct.
That night the Iscariot home has a visitor - Jesus and two of his apostles, James (Bradley James) and his younger brother John (Levi Miller). They tell Judas that they wish to speak with him outside. Martha asks Judas if he is in some kind of trouble. Judas tells Martha not to worry and heads outside to meet with Jesus, John and James. Jesus holds out some coins and tells Judas that he heard he was having trouble finding work. Judas refuses to accept Jesus' charity. Judas holds out his hands and says that Jesus' God gave men hands for working, not handouts. Jesus tells Judas that he respects that and asks James if they still have that broken wagon. James nods his head. Jesus then asks Judas if he can come to their camp and fix one of their wagons as they are planning on leaving for the next town in a few days. Judas tells Jesus that he will stop by in the morning to see what he can do.
Judas goes down to the camp Jesus and his followers have set up. James shows him to the wagon. Judas asks James why he chooses to follow Jesus. James says that Jesus is a good man who preaches the word of God. He then adds that his younger brother John became enamored with Jesus after hearing him speak for the first time in Galilee and decided to follow him. James says that he initially chose to come along to look after his brother, but eventually Jesus' words resonated with him as well. Judas gets to work on fixing the wagon, which is an easy job for a skilled carpenter like Judas. Judas then goes to see Jesus for payment. Jesus thanks Judas for the work he did with the hands the God gave him and places two coins in Judas' hands.
Jesus and his followers next travel to the nearby city of Magdala. While walking through the streets, Jesus is propositioned by a prostitute named Mary (Emily Browning). Sensing that she is spiritual pain, Jesus turns down sex with her but instead offers to pay her usual fee to simply spend time with her and talk to her about her relationship to God. She agrees if for no other reason than to give her body a rest. Jesus tells Mary that she shares a name with his mother. and that he sees a similar light in her eyes. Mary is taken aback, stating that nobody has said anything nice to her in a long time. She begins to cry in front of Jesus. He tells her to get it all out and holds her.
Jesus and his followers, now with Mary Magdalen among the group, continue traveling along the Jordan River, where they find a baptism in progress. John the Baptist (Aden Young) sees the group and asks if any of them would like to be baptized while the chance is there. Jesus raises his hand. His followers are confused as Jesus is already a man of God in their eyes. Jesus steps into the water and the Baptist blesses him and encourages him to bless unto others. Afterward, Jesus tells his followers that he had a vision during his baptism that told him that he was not merely a messenger to spread the word of God - no, he is the literal Son of God. Many of his followers leave, thinking that Jesus has lost his mind or is at the very least a blasphemer. John the Baptist himself isn’t sure what to make of Jesus’ claims, but assures people that if Jesus’ claims are not correct, God himself will deal with Jesus in time.
Martha receives word from family in the town of Bethany that her brother Lazarus has fallen ill and is near death. Judas says he is sorry to hear that. Martha then asks if Judas thinks that man Jesus is really a healer like she has heard. Judas says he doubts it. Martha pleads with Judas to track down Jesus and ask him to heal her brother. Judas tells Martha to go to Bethany with their child while he goes to find Jesus and his followers. Judas borrows a horse and rides for an entire day until he catches up with Jesus' flock. Judas runs to Jesus and asks for his help. Jesus rides on Judas' horse with him toward Bethany.
When Martha arrives in Bethany she finds that her brother Lazarus has already died and been placed in a tomb. When Judas and Jesus finally arrive days later, she informs them that Lazarus has been dead in his tomb for four days now. Jesus asks her if she believes in miracles. Martha tells him she likes the idea, but she isn't so sure. Jesus tells her and Judas that he needs them to try to believe if he is going to be able to help Lazarus. Jesus says a prayer with his hands on Lazarus' tomb. After the prayer, Jesus and Judas pry open the tomb to find Lazarus (Marc-André Grondin) weak and dehydrated, but alive. Martha rushes to give her brother some water. As Lazarus drinks, he asks what has happened. Martha explains to him that he was dead. Lazarus does not believe her until he notices that he is inside of a tomb. Judas cannot believe his eyes and asks Jesus to baptize him. Jesus agrees and baptizes Judas in a river nearby. Judas tells Martha that they must uproot and follow Jesus to Galilee. Martha is not thrilled by the idea, but agrees to go along with it based on how passionate Judas is about the idea.
As they travel, Judas senses that Jesus' other followers, especially Cephas, do not like him very much. Judas confides in Jesus about this and Jesus attributes this to Judas being from the south in Kerioth while all of his other closest followers all hail from Galilee in the north. Judas suspects it is more complicated than that. Jesus tells Judas that he need not concern himself with whether Cephas or John or James trusts him. He has earned his trust as well as the trust of Mary and Martha - and more importantly, the trust of God himself. As they continue to walk, Cephas proclaims to all who can hear that has had a vision that told him that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus confirms that he has had the same vision, but his vision went on further. Cephas and the other apostles want to know how his vision ended, but Jesus refuses to say.
The group happens upon Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. Jesus tells the others that he would like to visit with his mother Mary (Sophie Marceau) before they continue on toward Jerusalem. Mary is excited to see her son as it has been some time since his last visit. Jesus tells her about his visions from God. Mary is surprisingly pleased to hear this. She confesses that she was a virgin when Jesus was born, so she always suspected that God had put him inside her womb for a special reason. Mary puts her hand on son's shoulders and tells him that he is the chosen one.
When they arrive in Jerusalem, Jesus and his followers find that Herod's Temple has become a market full of merchants, livestock and money changers - right before Passover no less. Jesus asks Judas, much to Cephas's chagrin, for advice on what they can do about this. Judas begins forcibly removing items from the merchants and placing them outside the Temple. John, James and the others begin following Judas' lead. They carry the money changing tables away from the table and herd the animals away from the area. Jesus' teachings quickly become wildly popular among the common Jewish population in Jerusalem. Jesus suggests to his inner-circle of Judas, Cephas, John and James that they should begin plans to build a permanent ministry in Jerusalem as he believes it is where the word of God is needed most. After a sermon to a packed audience, one man in the audience suggests that Jesus should be made the new King of the Jews. Jesus tells the man that he is no king, as the only true king is the God in Heaven, but that he is the Son of God.
Caiaphas (Aidan Gillen), leader of the Pharisees, is informed of Jesus' popularity and is told that the man referred to himself as King of the Jews. Caiaphas goes to see the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate (Tobias Menzies) to express his concerns. Pilate doesn't really see an issue with one man preaching on a hill. Caiaphas tries to explain that Jesus is promoting blasphemy. Pilate reminds Caiaphas that the two of them do not worship the same gods. Caiaphas then tells Pilate that Jesus is the one that led the sacking of the Temple. Pilate does not want a full-scale riot on their hands, so he asks Caiaphas to find a quiet way to bring Jesus to justice. Judas is approached by Caiaphas, who comments that he knows Judas is an outsider within Jesus' inner-circle. Judas asks Caiaphas to state his business or move on. Caiaphas offers him 30 pieces of silver to help him arrest Jesus. Judas becomes angry at the suggestion and demands to know what charges. Caiaphas says that surely a man of Judas' sense cannot actually believe that Jesus is the flesh and blood son of God. Judas asks why not. Caiaphas gives up and says to himself that he must have been mistaken about Judas' character as he leaves.
Judas goes to speak with Jesus. Mary tells Judas that Jesus is in prayer and he should come back later. Judas says it is important. Jesus speaks up from the next room telling Mary to let Judas inside to see him. Judas informs Jesus of his encounter with Caiaphas. Jesus does not look surprised though. Jesus reveals to Judas that God told him that he must be killed to atone for the sins of the world. Judas says that he will not betray Jesus to the Romans. Jesus says that it must be Judas who does it. Judas asks why it must be him. Jesus tells Judas that it must be that way because God told him. Jesus tells Judas to go back to Caiaphas and accept his offer. Judas goes to meet with Caiaphas at the Temple. Judas agrees to help Caiaphas peacefully arrest Jesus, even though he knows it is on behalf of the Romans. Judas tells Caiaphas that he will make sure Jesus will be in the Garden of Gethsemane the next morning.
Judas finds Jesus, the other apostles and their families all around a large table at the Cenacle atop Mount Zion, just outside the walls of old Jerusalem. Jesus kindly welcomes Judas and invites him to sit and eat. Judas sits down next to Martha and their child. The table is filled with bread and wine. Jesus tells everyone that the bread is his body and the wine is his blood. Judas looks uncomfortable throughout the meal. At the end of the meal, Jesus commands everyone in the room to love one another whether he is around or not. Jesus then walks out of the dinner hall. Mary follows him to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus and Mary finally have sex for the first time. Afterward, they lay in the garden naked. Jesus tells her that he wanted to make sure she knew he loved her before what will happen next. Jesus kisses Mary and suggests that she should leave the garden before morning. Before she leaves though, Jesus asks her to please not blame Judas for what is about to happen and to forgive Judas no matter what they say he did. Mary is confused by his request, but agrees to adhere to it.
When the morning arrives, Judas leads Caiaphas and a group of Roman Centurions into the garden where Jesus is calmly waiting for them. Judas gives Jesus a kiss and begs him for forgiveness. Jesus tells Judas that he does not need to be forgiven as he truly believes that Judas is simply performing God's will - and God's will says that his son must die on the cross. Judas breaks down crying. Caiaphas gives him a bag containing the 30 pieces of silver as had been previously offered. As Jesus is taken away from the garden by the Centurions and through the city of Jerusalem, Cephas, John and James are alerted and go to confront them. Cephas brandishes a sword and swings it wildly at the guard nearest to Jesus. The blade slices the guard's ear clean off his face. As the Centurions are about to kill Cephas, Jesus pleads with them to stop. He kneels down before the guard and heals his ear. With the guard no longer injured, Caiaphas allows Jesus' disciples to go unharmed. Cephas, John and James continue on to the garden where they find Judas crying with his silver. Cephas accuses Judas of betraying their leader. Judas tries to explain, but Cephas refuses to listen and storms off. John and James follow Cephas.
When Judas hears that Pilate has condemned Jesus to death, he is overwhelmed with even more guilt. He finds Caiaphas and tries to give him back the 30 pieces of silver. Caiaphas refuses, considering the silver to be blood money now. Caiaphas suggests that Judas use the silver to do something nice for his wife and child. Judas walks home with the silver, depressed and defeated. He tries to sleep that night, but has repeated visions of Cephas, John, James, and Jesus' other apostles and followers stoning me to death. He wakes up sweating. Martha comforts him and says it sounds like he has a guilty conscience. In the morning, Judas goes to see Mary Magdalene. He apologizes profusely for his actions in helping them arrest Jesus. He gets down on his knees and begs Mary to forgive him. Mary tells Judas that he is forgiven and to get up off of the ground. She tells him that Jesus spoke to her before he was arrested and made her promise to forgive Judas no matter what happened. Mary kisses Judas on the forehead and tells him to go find his peace of mind, wherever it may be. Mary then walks with Jesus' mother Mary to Golgotha where Jesus is set to be crucified.
Judas watches the crucifixion from a distance, too guilty to get closer. Jesus hangs, bloodied and beaten, alongside two thieves who are being crucified that day as well. Jesus prays to God and asks that he forgive his tormentors. Jesus then looks over at the thief next to him and offers him salvation. Judas watches as Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ mother Mary both cry tears of sorrow. Judas can sense the life leaving Jesus' body and leaves the area before anyone notices him. In the dead of the night, Judas checks to make sure Martha is asleep and then gets out of bed. He kisses Martha on the cheek and tucks her in. He then kisses the infant in the crib. Judas places the thirty pieces of silver on their table. Judas walks out of the city of Jerusalem and into an open field with a lone tree in the middle. Judas pulls out a length of rope. Judas climbs the tree, up to the tallest and strongest branch. As he sits in the tree he fastens a noose at one end of the rope and places it around his neck. Judas then ties the other end of the rope to the branch he is sitting on. Judas closes his eyes and jumps from the tree. In the morning, travelers come upon Judas’ lifeless body hanging from the tree.
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