The Book of Clarence (2023)
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A down-on-his-luck man attempts to capitalize on the rise of Jesus Christ by posing as a new Messiah to escape his debts.
The story
In A.D. 33 Jerusalem, a struggling Hebrew man named Clarence finds himself in deep debt to a loan shark. After a series of mishaps, including losing a chariot race and being racially profiled by Roman soldiers, Clarence experiences a vision while smoking opium. He conceives a plan to capitalize on the growing influence of Jesus Christ by posing as a fake messiah. Seeking to secure his new status, he proposes to the Twelve Apostles that he become the 13th apostle, despite their mockery. To build his reputation, he begins performing 'miracles' and traveling the land with a group of companions, all while attempting to secure a life of glory.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The story is divided into three 'Books'. Clarence and his friend Elijah lose a chariot race to Mary Magdalene, leaving them in debt to the loan shark Jedediah the Terrible. After being racially profiled by Romans and experiencing an opium-induced vision, Clarence decides to pose as a messiah. He is mocked by the Twelve Apostles, including his cynical twin brother Thomas. To gain legitimacy, Clarence tricks the owner of gladiator slaves into letting him fight Barabbas the Immortal; Clarence wins, and Barabbas joins his troupe. Clarence and his group travel the land performing fake miracles and preaching 'knowledge over belief' to make money. While Elijah tries to help Mary Magdalene, who is being stoned, Jesus intervenes and heals her. Varinia, Jedediah's sister, betrays Clarence, leading to a confrontation where the Romans arrest him. During his interrogation, Clarence confesses to being a trickster but miraculously walks across water. He is eventually crucified alongside Benjamin, a man who was transformed into a white, Jesus-like figure by Jesus's power. At the end, Jesus appears to Clarence in his tomb, forgives him, and raises him from the dead, leaving Clarence with both knowledge and belief.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 129
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jeymes Samuel
- Writers
- Jeymes Samuel · writer
- Cast and characters
- LaKeith Stanfield · Clarence; Omar Sy; RJ Cyler; Anna Diop; David Oyelowo; Micheal Ward; Alfre Woodard; Teyana Taylor; Caleb McLaughlin; Eric Kofi-Abrefa; Marianne Jean-Baptiste; James McAvoy; Benedict Cumberbatch
- Genres
- comedy-drama; biblical; epic
- Themes
- Faith vs. Knowledge; Deception; Equality; Debt
- Tone and mood
- Eccentric; Daring; Stylistically uniform
- Premise and plot tags
- Biblical; Comedy; Drama; Epic; Religious
- Reception
- The film underperformed at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 57 · scale: 100 · review count: 27; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 67%
- Production trivia
- The film was modeled after biblical epics like The Ten Commandments, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Samson and Delilah, and Ben-Hur.; Filming took place in Matera, Italy.; The lead single for the soundtrack, 'Hallelujah Heaven', features Lil Wayne, Buju Banton, and Shabba Ranks.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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