Son of Man

Son of Man
Fils de l'Homme
Directed by	Zono Zuagai and Mouzou Bemejai
Written by	Zono Zuagai
Based on	Passion of Jesus
Produced by	Jiba Zugaumo and Buaje Buaje
Starring	Azad Hosseini, Didhuove Zeminhou and Nadia Panjang
Cinematography	Dejia Gaubina
Edited by	Dejia Gaubina
Music by	Sally Mhudhu
Release dates	October 2022 (2022-October)
Running time	102 minutes
Country	Dezevau
Language	Gaullican

Son of Man is a 2022 Gaullican-language film, loosely based on the Passion of Jesus but set in a contemporary city, and without the presence of any divinity in the story. It was directed jointly by Zono Zuagai and Mouzou Bemejai, who also worked on the film in other capacities. Cinematography and editing were overseen by Dejina Gaubina, who was considered the third creative force behind the film. Azad Hosseini, Didhuove Zeminhou and Nadia Panjang starred as Jesus, Judas Iscariot and Mary respectively; there was some praise for the culturally diverse casting. The film runs for 102 minutes, and was produced in Dezevau, under the auspices of the Dezevauni Film Agency, a Dezevauni government body.

The film's creative conception was in 2021, according to Zono Zuagai, and was put to and received support from the Dezevauni Film Agency that same year. The bulk of filming took place in 2022, with the release timed to coincide with the 83rd Montecara Film Festival in October of that year. On the whole, the production of the film was quite speedy, with Zono saying that it was as though the concept formed and spilled out of his mind fully-formed. Early concerns from the Dezevauni Film Agency about potentially controversial topics and themes were resolved early on in production, but came back to the fore when it was being considered whether to submit the film to the Montecara Film Festival; it eventually was, after some preliminary canvassing and reassurances from the filmmakers. It was also shown in cinemas in Dezevau starting October 2022.

Classification and interpretation of the film have been contested and fraught. It has been considered art film, psychological drama, absurdist, postmodernist or even speculative historical or historical fantasy. At points, it borders on the surreal, dark comedy, or satire. A term used by some critics which was picked up by Zono to describe the film was "demythologisation". Some have said that it has some of the characteristics of naive art, noting the inexperience of the makers and novelty of their ideas, though others say that it fits within Dezevauni film as a whole, whose conventions are only relatively unknown worldwide. Critical reception has generally been positive, focusing on its atmosphere, themes and cinematographic techniques, with most criticism being of the plot, including on the basis of insensitivity or tastelessness. The Episemialist Patriarch of Noavanau called it "theologically problematic".

Plot

The film starts with a soft-spoken and slightly awkward man, Jesus, receiving various friends, who, unannounced, have shown up at his new apartment to congratulate him on his new job and on moving in. He receives them as best he can, but fairly simply, as he seems somewhat familiar to modern kitchen appliances. Two of the unnamed friends present Jesus with a palm frond-patterned doormat together. Jesus' mother, Mary, arrives after the friends have been there for a short time, and in an aside from Jesus' friends chatting in the living room, Mary expresses the greatest affection and pride for her son, and expresses regret that Joseph was unable to come visit at this time (Joseph, it is revealed, was Jesus' stepfather, and a good parent compared to his absentee biological father). Hugging his mother, Jesus tears up, his polite smile replaced by a tight-lipped frown, in arguably the most recognisable still of the film.

In the next scene (at least a day later, considering the time of day and changes of clothes) Judas rings the doorbell to take Jesus to his appointment at the bank, which he has apparently forgotten he had. They walk through the city on an overcast afternoon, talking amicably on various topics, some bordering on the political. Jesus challenges Judas as to whether his line of work is ethical (it is unspecified but implied that Judas is some kind of manager, bureaucrat or lawyer), but Jesus has no answer for Judas' response that he can never be completely sure, but can only try his best.

At the bank, Jesus is fidgety while waiting his turn, but Judas reassures him, and starts reading a newspaper. Jesus notices and approaches an old woman who is crying as she leaves her own appointment. Comforting her, he cannot understand the complex financial problem she seems to be having, though its crux seems to be that she will lose her house because of a third-party fraud. He approaches a banker who is between clients and tries to get it resolved, to little success, becoming increasingly agitated in the process. Quickly, he has the attention of the whole lobby, and he starts shouting about the unfairness of the system and accusing the bankers of perpetuating it. In the process, he knocks some sheaves of paper, a vase and some other objects to the ground. Though he earns some sympathetic looks, he departs amidst silence once his rant has come to a head, Judas leading him away.

Back in his apartment, Jesus and Judas are sitting in silence when there is a knock on the door. The police inform him that charges will not be pressed, but issue a formal warning, and advise him to find a different branch for his banking services from now on. Despite this, they are sympathetic, in part because of Judas' intercession and promise to take care of him, and in part because they are mistaken that Jesus' outburst at the bank was because he was under financial stress himself. The police leave Jesus with some generic advice, and contacts for mental health support. Jesus, who since leaving the bank has been withdrawn and hesitant, seizes Judas, and forcefully pleads with him to promise not to tell any of their other friends that any of this occurred. Reluctantly, Judas promises.

In the next scene, Jesus, Judas and eleven friends are eating dinner in a private dining room at a restaurant. The alcohol is flowing, and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. Jesus, somewhat intoxicated, starts making strange jests, such as saying that certain drinks and food are his blood and flesh; his friends laugh it off. His mood becomes stranger, however, and he starts accusing his friends, saying that they will betray him soon. Though nobody is quite sure if he is serious, they each earnestly deny the charges, and Jesus settles back down, the awkward situation defused. The meal is soon finished, and the friends sit around, drinking or smoking (presumably tobacco or cannabis). Jesus steps outside for a moment to get some fresh air, but asks them not to fall asleep while he is out. Silent and still, he stares at the brightly lit night cityscape for a long time (some uninterrupted minutes of the film), then steps back inside.

He finds three of his friends have dozed off, and he shakes his head and sighs, but sits back down to continue drinking and smoking. He becomes very still after a little while, then alternately shaky in his movements, and his gaze goes blank; Judas sits down next to him, first suggesting he finish on alcohol for the night, and then holding him by the arm or hand and soothing him. Judas takes Jesus' head in his arms and kisses him once or twice on the forehead or temple. The other friends have noticed by now, and when they ask if Jesus is okay, Judas mentions that he has not been well recently. Jesus seems to come to his senses, stands up quickly and angrily says that Judas has betrayed him. He accuses them all, but mainly Judas, of not taking him seriously, of being unable to see him as human. When his friends begin to murmur apologies for if they have been insensitive and encourage him to talk to them, and say that they are there to support him, he starts to sob, choking out what might be a word of apology, and turns and runs from the room. Judas stands up to give chase after a few moments, leaving the other confused friends behind, and calling Mary on his cellphone as he does.

Jesus hastily unlocks a drawer in his apartment to retrieve a revolver, apparently already loaded. He rushes outside to the alley outside his apartment, and stands there, looking at the gun, and then at the city and the night sky. He points the gun upwards from under his chin, finger on the trigger, but cannot bring himself to do it. He lowers the gun, then raises it again, then lowers it again, when a pedestrian sees him and gasps, thinking he means harm. He accidentally drops the gun, and it fires when it strikes the ground; the pedestrian is unhurt, but runs off shouting for help. Shocked, he walks towards the entrance of the alley; police arrive by foot from nearby, including the policemen who checked on him in his apartment after the incident at the bank. He is recognised as "that psych case"; the police yell various things at him, including instructions to put his hands up, which he does not follow; he stands still, not facing them. When he is asked by loudspeaker if he is a danger to himself or others, he turns angrily towards the police and yells, "so what if I am?" In reaction to his sudden movement, he is instantly shot multiple times by the police, and he falls to the ground, arms outstretched, as if in the shape of a cross.

Mary sprints past the police, who still have their guns up, wailing, sees Jesus, and throws herself onto him. He looks at her blankly for some seconds, then closes his eyes, dead. She holds his body, in a manner resembling Vadera's Pietà, for some seconds, before the police are heard to rush in, and the camera pans slowly upwards, past the rooftops, over the extensive skyline of the city, onto the earliest visible light of dawn on the horizon, and then there is a fade to black as the film ends.

Cast

• Azad Hosseini as Jesus
• Didhuove Zeminhou as Judas Iscariot
• Nadia Panjang as Mary, mother of Jesus
• as the Twelve Apostles/friends
• as the two policemen
• as the old woman at the bank
• as the banker
• Zono Zuagai as Joseph (non-acting role)

Azad Hosseini is Kexri, and Nadia Panjang is Pelangi, filling two of the three main character roles; the film was praised for contributing to the visibility of Dezevau's minorities, and helping them break into top-tier positions in film.

Production

Versions of the film with official subtitles in Ziba and Estmerish (the film being in Gaullican) were prepared for release.

Reception

Partially because of its nomination to the Montecara Film Festival, the film drew crowds on release in Dezevau.