The occasional good Christian movie that finds success is always a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it is an oasis in the entertainment desert for Christians who, despite all of the talk in Hollywood of “representation,” seldom see their faith accurately and reverently depicted on the silver screen.
On the other hand, each spawns copycats that are either cringy or blasphemous — but the forthcoming film “The Book of Clarence” may be an excruciating mixture of both.
Set in 33AD, writer and director Jeymes Samuel uses a biblical backdrop to tell the story of Clarence, a streetwise drug dealer who becomes captivated by the power and fame of Jesus of Nazareth and his apostles and seeks the same for himself, Vanity Fair reported.
This leads Clarence, played by “Get Out” and “Atlanta” star LaKeith Stanfield, to several misguided attempts to imitate Jesus, including preaching a phony sermon and faking a miracle with the help of his friend, played by RJ Cyler.
While there are some indications that Clarence may indeed experience a beautiful conversion to becoming authentically Christlike, the trailer reveals that the journey to get there will be problematic for many Christians.
Hip-hop legend Jay-Z, who is producing