Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Did Jesus exist? This film starts with that question, then goes on to examine Christianity as a whole.
A low-budget provocateur documentary from Brian Flemming that questions the historical existence of Jesus. The film raises some genuinely interesting questions about Christianity and the Christ myth theory, giving it modest novelty in its blunt, confrontational approach. However, it is widely criticized for shallow scholarship, cherry-picked arguments, and a lack of rigorous engagement with counterpoints, weakening its plot/argument structure considerably. The cinematography is basic documentary fare with stock footage and talking heads, nothing distinguished. The ending, which features Flemming returning to his former Christian school, feels more theatrical than revelatory. Acting is not really applicable in a meaningful way but the on-screen presence of interviewees and Flemming himself is unremarkable. It sits in a well-populated genre of atheist-provocateur documentaries from the mid-2000s, somewhat distinctive in its focus on the historicity question but not uniquely executed.