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| Yvan Sagnet, center, as Jesus Christ, in a scene of “The New Gospel” filmed in Matera, Italy. The director Milo Rau’s work is a hybrid documentary, political campaign for migrant workers, and movie. Gianni Cipriano for The New York Times |
MATERA, Italy — For his cinematic retelling of the story of Jesus Christ, “
The New Gospel,” the Swiss-born, Belgium-based director Milo Rau sought answers to some questions: What would Jesus preach in the 21st century? Who would he stand with? What would he fight for?
Mr. Rau found one answer in contemporary Italy, where
his project — part movie, part documentary, part political campaign — unfolded this year. To play Christ, he chose a former migrant seasonal worker, one of the thousands who harvest sundry crops — mostly tomatoes, olives and oranges — in the fields of Southern Italy. [
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