Movie review: 'Last Days in the Desert' comes up dry

The long-haired holy man isn't the only one fasting during "Last Days in the Desert." Moviegoers don't get much to chew on either, besides a decent performance by Ewan McGregor as both Jesus and a demon, plus some OMG-worthy landscapes.

"Father, where are you? Father speak to me," says Yeshua (McGregor), a Hebrew name for the son of God that's used in this film written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia. There's no response from the Man Upstairs. The difficulty of communication between fathers and sons emerges as a main theme.

And that marks a thematic shift for Garcia, best known for his female-focused "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her."

From left, Ciarán Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Tye Sheridan and Ewan McGregor.

(Francois Duhamel)

After weeks of living on water and prayer and going it alone in the parched brutal wilderness outside of Jerusalem, Yeshua grapples with a representative of the dark side who looks just like him — and plays mind games. Then he encounters a family facing its own crisis. A young man (Tye Sheridan) wants desperately to move to the big city, but his mother (Ayelet Zurer) is dying and his omnipotent father (Ciarán Hinds) insists he stays put. "I can't talk to him," the young man laments.

Both as parable and personal drama, the film leaves something to be desired. We don't get the idea of a great teacher, just a drifter biding his time. We don't see how Yeshua's affected by the family — or vice versa, despite tragic circumstances. The narrative flashes forwarded a few years and then a couple millennia. Performances are sturdy.

Ewan McGregor is Jesus — and the demon he faces — in "Last Days in the Desert."

(Francois Duhamel)

At best, the picturesque movie offers arresting imagery from cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, an Oscar winner for "Birdman" and "Gravity." Southern California land stands in for the Middle East. But landscapes tell a limited story. Ultimately "Last Days in the Desert" makes for an arid hour-and-a-half.

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