Savior, martyr, son of Joseph and Mary, Son of man. The River is the coming-of-age story about Jesus Christ no one has yet heard that asks the question, "How can you be the savior of humanity if you can't save your own father?"

SYNOPSIS:

"The River" is a coming-of-age story about Jesus Christ that no one has yet heard. This narrative is a fictional adaptation of what might have happened in the months after Jesus taught the Pharisees in the Temple when he was twelve. This is not an attempt to change history or turn one’s belief in Christ upside down, but rather to look at the humanistic side of Christ and how he, as a man, related to people.

This film is not just for Christians nor is it intended to evangelize non-Christians. It is simply a fictional story about an historic icon. The inspiration for this came from the time I studied the teachings of Christ and noticed themes like father-son relationships, compassion, suffering and the human nature. According to the New Testament scripture, Jesus was the Son of Man, meaning he was just like all of us, he suffered, cried, had fun and pitied the less fortunate. However, he was also the Son of God, meaning that he had the power to perform miracles, had wisdom beyond most men, and was believed to be the Messiah or Suffering Servant (from Isaiah 53). These doctrines led me to wonder what childhood experiences could

have caused Jesus to teach the way he taught and to be the man of God during his ministry. It is easy to

take for granted (especially for those who are believers) that if he was the Son of God, he came to this earth with all of the power and knowledge of God from the beginning. But what if he didn’t? What was it

like for him to experience pain for the first time as a baby, not knowing what it is or how pain works?

What if his nature was slowly revealed to him throughout his life? What would it have been like as an adolescent, learning that you have the power of God in you? Why did it his ministry start at age 30 which was considered “over the hill” in those times?

Another question that the bible doesn’t answer is, what happened to his earthly father Joseph? He is never mentioned after Jesus was twelve. Did he leave? Did he die? And how did his leaving or passing affect young Jesus? This film takes a creative look at these questions and plays with symbolism that Jesus used in his ministry like; water, blood, and father-son relationships. Throughout the film, Jesus has dreams and visions with these themes that eventually reveal his purpose and identity.

Being raised a Christian not knowing my biological father, I could relate to Jesus and could also longed to understand his theme of being cared for by a father. Though I’m not a believer anymore, I still admire Jesus for his life and teachings and still think that if our society threw away the doctrines and religiosity of Jesus, we see a simple man who was once a bastard child raised by a single mother at a time when that was unheard of.

The life of Jesus seems very familiar to most people since he was the most famous historic figure of all time, but how refreshing could it be to see him in a different light? As a man, or as a boy, just trying to figure himself out and also as a god trying to figure out human nature.