Three Christs
The human mind is an enigma. We know what it is, we know what it does, and we even know what it looks like — but how it functions largely remains a mystery. We also have little understanding as to why many of us struggle with mental health. Three Christs is based on the work of a man determined to find answers to the questions, but as with the real-life events, the outcome is murky.
Richard Gere stars as Dr. Alan Stone (based on real-life psychologist Milton Rokeach), a man hoping to find a cure for schizophrenia. His work in Michigan during the early 1960s leads him to three men who believe they are each Jesus Christ. Each one believes the other two are wrong, and, in at least one case, outright insane. Stone make a plan to bring the three men together to test new methods for recovery and, along with his young assistant, Becky (Charlotte Hope, Allied), learns the importance of empathy when dealing with mental health.
The stars of the film should be the three men who believe themselves to be the son of God. Bradley Whitfield, Walton Goggins, and Peter Dinklage fill the roles with a gentle touch informed by their long careers in entertainment. The group may suffer from similar delusions, but they are still individuals, and they are presented as such. Whitfield is suffering from unimaginable guilt over his wife’s death, Goggins has an unhealthy relationship with the opposite sex, and Dinklage believes he is being kept from his home in England. There is a lot for the actors to work with, and it’s clear in every scene that they came to set ready to explore the depths of their characters.
Unfortunately, Three Christs is more concerned with Alan Stone than those he wanted to help. Though the film tells us barely anything about the man or his motivations, viewers spend the majority of the runtime watching him watch the men in his care. We also get a slight peak at his tumultuous home life with an alcoholic wife (played well by Julianna Margulies), but like the portrayals of the Christs, it's barely enough to make us feel any connection to his plight.
Director Jon Avnet (Fried Green Tomatoes; Red Corner) is no stranger to quality filmmaking, and to his credit, Three Christs looks and feels like a movie that should be contending for Oscars instead of being dumped in the January VOD pool. However, his efforts to make us care about seemingly everyone on-screen restricts us from being able to deeply understand or care about anything. Every dramatic beat feels hollow, and even the most hopeful moments feel too saccharine to be realistic. It’s a shame, really, because there’s so much here that should work. We should cheer for these men as they face their demons, and we should root for Stone to uncover something that gives hope to the countless millions with mentally ill people in their lives. Try as many might, however, there’s not enough grit to keep us engaged.
Grade: C-minus. Now available on Amazon Prime Video and Google Play
(Photo: IFC Films)
