The Last Supper is topic of two productions during Lenten season

Jaime Ward portrays Jesus in The Last Supper, to be released in theaters on March 14. (Photo courtesy of Pinnacle Peak Pictures)

By Ann Margaret Lewis

Lent is a time to reflect on our relationship with Christ and his sacrifice that created a new covenant with us. For those of us who have chosen a penance other than giving up film entertainment, there are two special viewing options available to help focus our attention on Christ rather than secular topics.

The first of these, a film set to preview in theaters on March 14, is The Last Supper. Produced by Christian music artist Chris Tomlins and executive produced by Michael Scott, CEO of Pure Flix entertainment, the film is centered around the events of Holy Thursday and the theological repercussions of that night.

While the film is produced by evangelicals, Italian Catholic co-writer and director Mauro Borrelli (Mindcage) manages to present an unexpectedly Catholic view of the eucharistic sacrifice through his script and artistic choices. The script, for instance, doesn’t back away from the Bread of Life discourse in John 6. While it doesn’t include it in its entirety, what it does include makes clear that Christ’s words were not merely symbolic.

The film also begins with the feeding of the 5,000 through Jesus’s multiplication of the loaves, theologically linked to the Eucharist, and the imagery of that miracle is repeated during the sharing of the Passover meal, with its lamb and the breaking of the bread. It is also evident that bread and cup are a sign of the new covenant Christ has with his Church.

The film has a good production value, and the acting performances are decent as well. There are recognizable faces among the cast, youthful Jaime Ward (of the “Tyrant” TV series) as Jesus, James Faulkner (of the TV series “Davinci’s Demons”) as Caiaphas, and Robert Knepper (Prison Break) as Judas. Knepper’s Judas is perhaps a bit overplayed, but I found it forgivable as we see him being oppressed by Satan to betray Jesus. He also was a little older than I’d expect, as most of the Apostles were possibly in their early 20s, with the oldest perhaps being Peter. Peter, whose point of view we follow throughout the story, is played by James Oliver Wheatley (of the Netflix docuseries “The Lost Pirate Kingdom”), and he gives a moving performance, especially with regard to Judas’ fate.

My only real complaint about the film is at times the energy seems to wane. I wasn’t riveted to the film as one can be with certain productions, like The Passion of the Christ. But it is a film worth watching to get another point of view on the events of Holy Thursday.

The Last Supper opens nationwide on March 14 and is showing in theaters across central and southern Indiana. For more information, to search for theaters or to purchase tickets, go to thelastsupper.movie.

“The Chosen: Last Supper” premieres in theaters on March 28. (Photo courtesy of 5&2 Studios)

This film isn’t the only production this Lent tackling the subject of the Last Supper. The popular series “The Chosen” is also focusing on the events of Holy Thursday in their season five release, the title of which is “The Chosen: Last Supper.”

Actor Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Christ in that series, said during his presentation on the fourth day of the National Eucharistic Congress in July of 2024 that he’d come to the congress after finishing filming the Last Supper scenes, and that he felt tremendous anxiety when acting in them. “I think the reason why it became so stressful to me … was because as a Catholic, I understand the weight,” he said. “I understand the reality of what it is we believe and what that host represents and what that bread and that wine—once the Holy Spirit comes down and changes them—what that actually means to us and who that actually is now that we are about to receive.”

He then noted that the Bread of Life discourse of John 6 was skipped over in the series, so he went on to recite John 6 using his characterization of Jesus’ voice for congress participants, to make up for what they would miss.

Knowing how much those scenes meant to Roumie, it’ll be interesting to compare what the series does with the events of Holy Thursday to what is done in the afore mentioned film.

Releasing in theaters across Indianapolis and central Indiana, Episodes 1-2 of “The Chosen: Last Supper” will premiere through Fathom Events on March 28. Episodes 3-5 will follow beginning on April 4, and episodes 6-8 will premiere on April 11. Tickets can be purchased through the show’s website TheChosen.tv, local theaters or fathomentertainment.com. The show should be available for streaming on Amazon Prime or for free in their app in late spring or early summer. †