‘The Book of Clarence’ Subverts the Jesus Story With Glorious Vision and Satire

Alci Rengifo

Just when you thought there was no other possible way to tackle Christianity’s key historical figure, director Jeymes Samuel delivers an audaciously fresh take on Jesus with “The Book of Clarence.” This is one of those unique films that successfully combines many differing elements. It’s an homage to classic Biblical epics while subverting them with divine satire. The screenplay comments on everything from fashion to faith. Samuel fuels the material with a vision that is also wonderfully and uniquely Black, nodding at a long grievance at how Biblical films have had quite the habit of lacking faces of color. 

The story is still set 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem. Clarence (LaKeith Stanfield) is one of the locals living under the shadow of Roman occupation. He survives by selling weed, which irks his wholesome brother Thomas, as in the Apostle Thomas who is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus (Nicholas Pinnock). While Jesus is quickly gaining fame by proclaiming himself to be the Messiah, Clarence scoffs at the idea and sternly refuses to believe in God. Then he gets into real trouble when he owes big money to a local thug, Jedediah the Terrible (Eric Kofi-Abrefa), who happens to be the brother of his major love interest (Anna Diop). Clarence decides he will become Jesus’ 13th disciple and even gets baptized by an annoyed John the Baptist (David Oyelowo). This doesn’t convince the other disciples, including Clarence’s twin brother Thomas, and so Clarence comes up with another idea. He will simply claim he too is a messiah. There’s nothing to it and once he starts preaching and making up his own parables, the coins start flooding in. 

Samuel announced himself as a director of stunning vision in 2021 with the wildly inventive “The Harder They Fall,” a 2021 Western that managed to be compelling and trippy at the same time. It subverted the Western genre while nodding at the classics. “The Book of Clarence” operates in the same way while going to even grander heights. Samuel opens with introductory credits in an epic design reminiscent of films like “King of Kings” and “The Ten Commandments.” The sets look plucked out of “The Passion of the Christ” or “Ben-Hur.” Simultaneously, the screenplay by Samuel adds some new zest by making the characters feel contemporary while hilariously speaking in a style that pokes at the exaggerated, theatrical tones of period epics. Even when someone is dealing weed, they sound as if they are conscious of being in a swords and sandals tale. It is the filmmakers’ way of demanding the material be inclusive while updating it in terms of representation. 

For years, how the Jesus Christ story is told on film has been a subject of controversy and unintentional comedy. In the ‘50s, actors in the lead role would have to shave their body hair. Martin Scorsese received bomb threats for his “The Last Temptation of Christ,” where Jesus (Willem Dafoe) has a vision of what life would have been like if he’d married and procreated. Piety would make for box office hits when it comes to this subject. Samuel is the first director to make a big, mainstream movie that brings in the question of Black representation. There’s a long tradition of discussion regarding Jesus’ appearance, in particular because of the Biblical texts describing his feet as “fine brass” and “hair like wool.” Samuel’s movie is essentially saying that considering there are multiple Gospels and the definitive info on Christ is pretty scant, why can’t we have a Black Jesus? The story takes place in the Middle East, so expanding the ethnic makeup of the cast makes even more sense than Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.”

However, Samuel’s sole emphasis here isn’t just ethnicity. “The Book of Clarence” raises questions and explores the subject matter with a joyful creativity that actually ponders the content more seriously than a typical, faith-based film. Clarence collecting massive amounts of coin, along with bestie Elijah (RJ Cyler), thanks to his successful presentation of himself as a messiah is relevant and provocative, but the critique of religion as a business is one of the smaller stings in the story. On one level, Clarence belongs to a community of color oppressed by the very European-looking Romans, personified by a villainous commander and a savvy, cynical Pontius Pilate (James McAvoy). Jerusalem thus becomes a reflection of Samuel’s roots in Harrow Road, London, if not any community that feels looked down on by the upper crust. If you read a book like Reza Aslan’s “Zealot,” the world of Jesus was precisely like this with the Hebrews viewed as nothing but colonized subjects. By giving it all a contemporary feel, this ancient story stays quite relevant. On another level, Samuel isn’t attacking belief per se. He’s almost attempting to tackle how Christianity has been hijacked by political and social interests. When Jesus stops a mob from stoning Mary Magdalene (Teyana Taylor), who is accused of “sexing the Romans,” the moment becomes a radical statement on actual acceptance and forgiveness. 

Somehow Samuel manages to combine profound, even philosophical insights, with his trademark, breathtaking visual style. As in “The Harder They Fall,” the hyper stylization enhances the narrative. This is a hallucinatory Jerusalem where the cinematography by Rob Hardy turns the den of Jedediah into a hypnotic den of thieves, dancing painted women and golden crowns. When Clarence gets an idea a big lightbulb floats over his head and smoking hookah can literally make someone levitate in total bliss. But it’s not all for show. Samuel is creating a mythical experience. He understands that this story, whether one believes in it literally or not, is one of civilization’s dominant tales. Clarence puts together his own band of apostles, which are like a grand misfit gang. There’s Dirty Zeke (Caleb McLaughlin) and a gladiator, Barabbas (Omar Sy), who claims to be immortal and has one weakness very similar to that of Achilles. They are picaresque characters that are also mythical heroes in their own, flawed ways. The production design feels like a mixture of Fellini and Cecil B. DeMille. 

Even the soundtrack is an epic gesture worthy of a Biblical romp. Samuel is also a music artist and throws around R&B, hip-hop, funk, gospel and classic orchestral bombast. Jay-Z is both a producer of the film and a collaborator on the soundtrack, which also features Doja Cat, Kodak Black, Adekunle Gold, Jorja Smith, Yemi Alade, Terry Callier, Alice Smith and Kid Cudi. It could have become a mess but as it enters its third act, “The Book of Clarence” becomes a powerful statement on sacrifice and faith. Clarence starts changing into maybe not a full believer, but into a man who now understands what sacrifice entails. Conservatives and the pious might be rattled by how Samuel then cheerfully overturns some of the typical aspects of the Jesus story. Judas and the last supper are all here, but now how we expect. Even the classic, Caucasian Jesus from countless artwork appears from where you least expect. The movie then culminates with a crucifixion and resurrection double punch that outdoes previous religious movies in its emotional resonance. “The Book of Clarence” is almost a hard film to fully decipher in one review because of how layered and rich it becomes. That’s also what makes it special. You soar with the stunning filmmaking craft on display, and then can discuss and argue about this movie long after the end credits.

“The Book of Clarence” releases Jan. 12 in theaters nationwide.