Director: D.J. Caruso
Herod's court casts a long shadow over Nazareth in this retelling of the nativity story, with Anthony Hopkins playing the aging king whose fear of a prophesied birth turns Judea into a hunting ground.
What is Mary about?
Told largely from her own point of view, this biblical drama follows a teenage girl in Roman-occupied Judea who learns she is carrying a child under extraordinary circumstances. Her betrothed, Joseph, chooses to stand beside her despite the scandal, and the couple's quiet life is upended once word of the pregnancy reaches the palace. Convinced that a newborn threatens his throne, an aging ruler orders a search that forces the family onto the road toward Bethlehem, then onward toward Egypt to stay ahead of soldiers combing the countryside. Along the way the film lingers on small human moments — hunger, fear, exhaustion, and the kindness of strangers — before building to the birth itself and its immediate, dangerous aftermath. The pursuit gives the second half real tension, framing an ancient story as something closer to a survival chase than a hymn.
Cast & crew
Anthony Hopkins anchors the film as the paranoid king, playing him less as a cartoon villain than a ruler undone by his own fear of losing power. Newcomer Noa Cohen carries the title role, with Ido Tako as Joseph and Mili Avital, Stephanie Nur, and Eamon Farren rounding out a cast drawn from across Israel, the UK, and beyond.
Context & significance
Directed by D.J. Caruso and released in 2024, the film blends historical drama with action-thriller pacing rather than a slower devotional tone. It sits alongside a wave of recent biblical epics aiming for wider theatrical audiences, using location shoots and practical staging to ground the period setting rather than leaning on obvious green screen.
Where & how to watch
The film streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, so it can be watched in Farsi from start to finish or with the original English performances intact. Browsing the page and reading the details here is free; watching the film itself just needs a K-Time account login, inside an interface built around the Iranian diaspora audience.