Testament: The Story of Moses

The film’s excuse for its fictionalised liberties seemed drawn from Midrash, but it didn’t really strike a chord. The problem is that they tried to over-humanise a figure who, in reality, was larger than life. One of the most jarring moments was Moses getting a lecture from his wife about anger issues after breaking the tablets. That scene felt painfully out of place - especially when Scripture says his face shone with the glory of God, so radiant that people couldn’t even look at him. Instead of portraying that divine authority, the film kept surrounding him with characters who appropriated or second-guessed his behavior, to the point that Moses himself felt patronised. In the end, sadly, I couldn’t completely connect with this version of Moses. The only redeeming element was the interjections from scholars across the three faiths, which added a layer of perspective the dramatisation itself lacked.