THE CARPENTER

THE CARPENTER is a touching sports drama that takes place in Roman-ruled Israel. After his father dies, Oren and his family move to Nazareth to live with their uncle. While there, Oren gets involved in the local fighting club where he quickly rises to the top. At the same time, Oren is brought on as an apprentice by a local carpenter whose mentorship ends up changing his life.

Oren has been a fighter all his life. Since he was a boy, his brother, Levi, trained him and he became unbeatable in his hometown of Cana. However, his love for fighting has caused Oren to forgo any other type of work. While Oren and Levi are at a fight, their father is doing maintenance on the roof of their home and ends up dying after a fall. Left with the guilt of putting fighting over family and the weight of taking care of their mother, they move to Nazareth to live with their uncle.

The love for fighting runs in the family as their uncle encourages Oren to join the town’s boxing league which he runs. It serves as a pipeline to the “major leagues” in Jerusalem where fighters earn real money. Oren accepts the invitation but falls into trouble with the Roman guard after winning his fight and is forced to flee throughout the city. As he runs away from the law, he finds refuge in the workshop of a carpenter named Yeshua. When the guards ask Yeshua if he has seen Oren, Yeshua pays off the debt that Oren has incurred from them and tells them not to worry about Oren. He then tells Oren he wants to take him on as an apprentice in his carpentry business. Before Oren leaves, Yeshua also heals the bruise around his eye that occurred during the fight.

Though he is unsure why Yeshua offered him a job, Oren begins learning carpentry under Yeshua, who begins teaching him many lessons along with the craft. In the meantime, Oren also continues his fighting career and begins moving his way up the ranks, racking up win after win. While fighting remains his focus, Oren begins to see the value in a skill like carpentry where he can substantially help others and improve their lives every day through his work. Yeshua also teaches him how he can be a blessing to others as he interacts with them beyond the carpentry service he is providing.

As Oren becomes a more esteemed fighter, his passion starts to turn toward carpentry and the light he can be in his community through it. However, after defeating the best fighter in Nazareth, he lands a spot in Jerusalem to fight the champion and win riches beyond his imagination. Not wanting to turn his back on all his hard work and his community, Oren announces he will take the fight, but then he’s retiring to live as a carpenter.

Yeshua wishes Oren well on the fight before telling him He will have left Nazareth by the time Oren gets back from the fight. Oren is heartbroken at the news that he’s losing his mentor and friend, but Yeshua soothes him, saying it is time for Him to fulfill a promise he made to His “father.”

Oren and his entourage head off the Jerusalem to face the city’s champion, who trains in Rome. Though the fight is brutal and grueling, Oren reigns victorious in the end, coming home with an undefeated record. True to his word, Yeshua is gone by the time Oren returns, but He’s left Oren His carpentry business.

Three years pass by with Oren running the carpentry business until one night he feels in his spirit that Yeshua has passed away. Shortly after, an earthquake hits the city, causing great destruction. Heartbroken by his friend’s death, Oren becomes depressed but takes on the mission of restoring and rebuilding his city. After multiple days of restoration, Oren feels more downtrodden than ever and prays to the Lord for strength in the name of Jesus Christ. Immediately, he’s visited by the risen Lord who embraces him.

THE CARPENTER is an entertaining movie that combines a great sports story with the life of Jesus. Audiences, however, need to understand that the movie takes many creative liberties to tell its story. Jesus did not take on a fighting prodigy as his apprentice nor were there fighting clubs in Ancient Rome in the sense that we would think of them today. The Roman Empire did have boxing as a sport, like the Greeks, but the Romans preferred a more brutal version of the sport. That said, the movie is self-aware of the slight absurdities it introduces into ancient times. For example, Levi uses rope and rocks to set up a home gym for Oren, complete with a squat rack and a triceps machine. Ultimately, the story is well told and teaches important messages.

THE CARPENTER has a strong Christian, moral worldview. It proclaims that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and portrays his resurrection three days after his death. It also stresses the importance of caring for the poor and the needy and being a light in our community. Oren’s outlook on life gets overhauled through his apprenticeship with Yeshua. Eventually, he becomes a pillar in his community because of the lessons he learns. THE CARENTER has some strong violence during the boxing matches, but it is tastefully executed, though some of the knockout punches are a little much. So, MOVEGUIDE® advises caution for children.