The Big Question

"All of us in our life has been touched by this question..."

Nov 8 2004 PG-13 1h 16m
Documentary

Although it was shot on the set of director Mel Gibson's controversial epic The Passion of the Christ, this thought-provoking documentary is not about the making of the movie. Rather, filmmakers Francesco Cabras and Alberto Molinari delve into the nature of divinity and spiritual beliefs through revealing interviews with Gibson and members of his cast and crew -- including stars Jim Caviezel and Monica Bellucci.

Plot

What are the first existential queries that lead us to question the absolute and consult teachers, parents, priests or older siblings? "The Big Question" is based on an idea that is very simple yet rather complex: it poses extremely direct questions to a large and varied group of people regarding their own intimate perception of the divine. The peculiar microcosm, a surprising sociological container, is the backdrop where these inquiries take place; it acutally is a 'non-place' par excellence: the set of 'The Passion of the Christ' by Mel Gibson. The documentary, that has nothing to do with a 'making of', reads as a singular notebook of laic catechism, and its essence is the cultural, religious, social and geographical variety of those interviewed. The topics suggested through the assorted questions are confronted by a subtle, sometimes humorous research, which touches everyone: believers, atheists, agnostics, or the undecided. The allegoric and hieratic soul of "The Big Question" is a white dog that passes through valleys, mountains and ghost towns of southern Italy, during a voyage more oneiric than realistic.

Written by

Francesco Cabras, Alberto Molinari

Directed by

Francesco Cabras, Alberto Molinari

Production Countries

United States of America

Languages

English, Latin

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
189
Average Rating
4.7 out of 10
Metascore
53
Popularity
NA