HIS ONLY SON

US, 2022, 100 minutes, Colour.

Nicholas Mouawad, Sarah Seyed, Daniel da Silva, Luis Fernandez-Gill, Edaan Moskowitz.

Directed by David Helling.

A faith-based feature film, going back to Genesis 22, Abraham and God’s request that he sacrifice Isaac, a story significant for the three Abrahamic faiths. At the end, there is a particular Christian focus with a crucifixion scene, God’s only son, Jesus, dying on the cross.

The introduction tells us that the book of Genesis gives us the full story of Abraham. However, the final credits also indicate that a number of incidents in Genesis have been amplified/fictionalised for dramatic purposes. (The publicity for this film states that this story has never been seen before – although George C Scott and Ava Gardner were Abraham and Sarah in John Huston’s The Bible, 1966, and Richard Harris was Abraham in the television film of that name, 1993, the latter well worth checking.)

In most ways, this is straightforward telling of the story of Abraham, his experience of God asking him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, the journey to the mountain where the sacrifice was to take place. However, there are many flashbacks during the journey, especially focusing on the memories of Abraham himself, played by Nicolas Mouawad, looking patriarchal. And, the desert and mountain scenery creates an atmosphere, sometimes eerie, vast plains, overpowering mountains, caves.

The flashbacks include, of course, Abraham, Abram, his sense of destiny, and a visual focus on the many stars of the sky and the sands, God’s covenant promise (though the covenant and fire of chapter 15 is not included). The main flashbacks concern Sarah, Abraham’s meeting with her, courtship, their life together, on the move, the fact that she could not have children. In fact, one of the strongest parts of the film is the relationship between Abraham and Sarah, a lot more time given to this relationship than other Genesis stories. In fact, it is Sarah who urges Abraham to relationship with Hagar because God’s promise was not to Sarah but to Abraham. But, she regrets this, turning against Hagar. It is surprising, in this context, that the visit of the strangers who receive hospitality and speak of Sarah’s pregnancy are very briefly and sketchily shown.

Abraham and Isaac do not travel alone. There are two servants accompanying father and son, a great deal of discussion along the way, one of the servants rebellious, the other trying to control him, and quite an amount of dialogue between them as they camp in caves during the journey.

On the way, several dramatic incidents have been inserted, a group of horsemen threatening the travelling party, attacking both Abraham and Isaac. They also have a captured girl and Isaac willing to sacrifice himself for her freedom. And, along the way, they meet a procurer who has a range of young women he wants to make available to the group. So, there is a certain earthiness about this storytelling.

However, there is a certain atmosphere of unearthiness in how God is presented – a glowing figure, white, translucent, human outline. Which, for many audiences, may be too ethereal and unconvincing. Perhaps a sense of God’s presence and the use of voice alone might have been more persuasive.

But, one of the problems with the film is that Isaac is not so will delineated until the very end of the film, audiences not quite identifying with him Abraham somewhat aloof in his fear and grief, Isaac bewildered, but, ultimately the dramatic sequence of the sacrifice, knife poised, and God’s voice of reprieve.

The writer-director served as a Marine in Iraq for some years, reading the Bible, coming home, making some short films and then this his first feature.

There is quite a New Testament focus in the final moments of the film, Abraham’s sacrifice moving into the crucifixion scene, the kneeling Centurion, and after the final credits, on screen five quotations from St Paul.

The film is designed for communities who tend to take biblical narratives literally. With some background, the film may be useful for church groups.

1. The title, the focus, Abraham and Isaac, God and Jesus?
2. Audience familiarity with the Abraham story, other versions, the texts in Genesis?
3. The basic realistic portrayal of the Genesis story, the narrative of the sacrifice, the flashbacks, Abraham and his call, journey, with Sarah, her inability to become pregnant, Hagar the slave girl and the birth of Ishmael, Sarah’s jealousy, the visit of the three guests, very brief, Sarah pregnant, the birth of Isaac? Various stories omitted, the covenant and the fire, Lot and Lot’s wife…?
4. The desert locations, the vast vistas of the plains, close-ups, the mountains, towering, the caves, the destination, the altar and the fire? The musical score?
5. The portrait of Abraham, his age, patriarch, the flashbacks to his call, the voice of God, destiny, the generations to come, courting Sarah, life with her, her urging him to Hagar, her later resentment, her pregnancy, the birth of Isaac, his love for Isaac?
6. Isaac, not so clearly delineated, the only son, relationship with his parents, the journey for the sacrifice, his accompanying the group, the captured girl and offering his life, the violence and his injury? Continuing the journey, talking with his father, the bond between them, the destination, carrying the wood, Abraham telling him the truth, his submission, lying on the altar, reprieve, embracing his father?
7. The character of Sarah, the amount of tension the film gives her, in the past, marriage, the years, supporting Abraham, barren, the promise to Abraham not to her by God, urging him to Hagar, the later resentment and jealousy, her own pregnancy and birth of Isaac?
8. On the journey, the servants, their role, the discussions, different attitudes between the two, the long cave discussion, binding the younger man? The role of the older man?
9. The horsemen, the attack, who they were, the threats to Abraham? With the captured girl, the violence, Abraham injured, the attack on Isaac?
10. The procurer along the way, offering the travelling group the girls? The old injured man along the path?
11. The presentation of God’s presence, the ethereal white figure, the voice of God?
12. The film as an introduction to the Genesis stories, to audiences reading them, of understanding them in their “historical” context, saga-telling in the Hebrew Scriptures, rather than absolute literal interpretation?