Okay, there are two things I particularly enjoy watching this time of year. Those clichéd Christmas movies and biblical offerings.
If you are partial to the latter genre, be sure to check out D. J. Caruso’s “Mary on Netflix, which sees the inimitable Anthony Hopkins slip into the skin of King Herod the Great.
The coming-of-age drama is unpacked in a more relatable way for the new generation.
While making the film, the director said: “ wanted to inspire, particularly younger viewers, to say, 'Wow, Mary could be my friend’. A lot of what she went through is contemporary and what's happening in the world today.”
The film opens with Angel Gabriel answering Joachim (Ori Pfeffer) and his wife Anne’s (Hilla Vidor) prayers for a child.
But it came with a condition - their daughter Mary (Noa Cohen) must dedicate her life to serving God when she is old enough.
The couple is beyond grateful to be parents and while heartbroken to “lose” their daughter, they honour their promise by taking her to The Temple in Jerusalem.
One day, while washing clothes by a stream close by, Mary meets Joseph (Ido Tako), who is immediately smitten with her and approaches her father for her hand in marriage.
However, before they tie the knot, Gabriel comes to Mary and informs her that she will be blessed with a child, who will be born to fulfil a prophecy that threatens the future of King Herod.
When word gets around about Mary being pregnant, she becomes a social pariah with the villages looking to stone her for being unfaithful to Joseph.
Joseph saves her and after a shotgun wedding, they two head to Bethlehem where Mary can safely give birth to Jesus. After being turned away for a room at several inns, they find a stable where she can deliver the baby.
Meanwhile, an enraged Herod orders the massacre of all boy babies to ensure the prophecy isn’t fulfilled.
The film is centred on Mary, her journey and her faith. It is different from the biblical stories out there so don’t watch it with lofty expectations.