There has been some criticism that the depiction of the child Jesus in the movie "The Young Messiah," based on Anne Rice's novel "Christ Our Lord: Out of Egypt," is contrary to the contents of the Bible,, but director Cyrus Nowrasteh is standing up for the film, denying that it deviates from the Holy Book.
Rice previously said that while the movie is based on her fictional novel about the early life of Jesus Christ, where there is actually no record about the young Jesus Christ, she did extensive research from various materials for her book.
"The Bible was my main source without question, but I consulted the pious legends of the Apocrypha as well. The apocryphal gospels have for centuries inspired art related to Jesus. In the Middle Ages artists depicted the little child Jesus turning clay birds into real birds. The poet Hilarie Belloc born in 1870 wrote a poem about this little miracle. I was deeply inspired by the lessons of the gospels, and these legends to try to imagine what childhood might have been like for Our Blessed Lord," she said in her guest post for The Hollywood Reporter.
Now Nowrasteh has maintained that there is nothing in the movie that is contrary to the Bible, reported Fox News.
"This movie is a reverential and a respectful movie towards Jesus and the faith and Christianity. There is nothing in this movie - and I have been told this been numerous Theologians and people who I talk to and who advise me - there is nothing in this movie that contradicts anything that is in the Bible," he said, maintaining that the movie is based on the work of fiction.
He added that the movie was made to bring Jesus closer to children and adults alike since it is a completely different angle to see him as a child.
Some critics have made negative reviews of the movie questioning why the Young Messiah in the film had to be taught that He is God. Another questioned why Jesus was raised by a bird from the dead.
Despite reviews questioning the film's faithfulness to the Bible, the film is doing well enough in the box office, earning $3.2 million over the weekend in the US despite being shown in select theatres only, reports Movie News Guide.
