Last Days in the Desert Trailer (2016)

Trailer for Last Days in the Desert, starring Ewan McGregor and Tye Sheridan.

Last Days in the Desert follows Jesus (Ewan McGregor) in an imagined chapter from his forty days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, he struggles with the Devil, also played by McGregor, over the fate of an ordinary family in crisis, setting for himself a dramatic test with distinctly human conflicts.

The film requires Ewan McGregor to play both Jesus and the tempting Lucifer. To help him play the dual roles, McGregor brought his stunt double, Nash Edgerton, to the set to interact with while filming the scenes.

When he announced production on the film, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki describe the script for Last Days in the Desert as "beautiful" while expecting the shoot to take five weeks. It looks like he was right, as the film has done incredible with the critics during it's limited run, scoring a 92% from RottenTomatoes.

I always wonder if it's scary doing the role of Jesus, as if it really brings on the pressure from the religious sect. Ewan McGregor has been for me a god in cinema -- I've been a huge fan of his since the beginning -- so him playing Jesus doesn't seem too much of a stretch in my regard. And, as a bit of counter balance, he does also play the role of the mischievous Lucifer.

Which brings up one of the more impressive bits on the visuals. Having to play two roles in the same frame, it is fun to see whether Ewan McGregor can stare into the eyes of Ewan McGregor; and he does!

While I typically don't see many of the religious films out there -- unless there is a sword & sandals element -- the Last Days in the Desert trailer does pitch something that seems very unique. Unique enough to pay a visit to theaters? Since I love Ewan McGregor, I'd say yes, but for others it might only be enough for a VOD viewing.