The Bible Code (5 Stars)

I admit it, this is a really obscure film. It's a German film made for television in 2008 that has never been released in English or even with English subtitles. It received several awards, but even in Germany it has met with mixed responses from the public. If you look at the reviews on Amazon.de half of the reviewers say it's brilliant, while the other half say it's awful. Why are the opinions so strongly divided? In my opinion the film is exciting, the story is fascinating, and the acting is first rate. And yet many reviewers call the film boring, the plot unbelievable and the acting poor. How can they criticise the acting after the leading actress has been given best actress nominations for her performance? I'll summarize the plot first before I attempt to answer the question.

First of all, the film has absolutely nothing to do with "The Da Vinci Code", a film based on a novel by Dan Brown. "The Bible Code" is loosely based on the theories of Michael Drosnin and his book of the same name. Very loosely. Drosnin made the theory that secret messages are hidden in the Bible that are only found by rearranging the letters of the original text. This is effectively the opposite of the conspiracy theories in "The Da Vinci Code". Drosnin's theories assume that the Bible is a divine document which contains messages hidden so intricately that only God could have inserted them, whereas "The Da Vinci Code" is about messages hidden by Leonardo Da Vinci that undermine the truths of New Testament Christianity.

Johanna Bachmann is a policewoman in Munich, Germany. She is suspended from duty for using excessive force in the line of duty. On the same day she receives a phone call from a man claiming to be her father, who she has never met before. Before they can meet he is gunned down, so she investigates him and finds out that he was a theologian who had been doing research for the Pope. He had deciphered a prophecy that a great disaster is imminent, but evidently there are people trying to silence him. Her investigations lead her across Europe to Austria, France and Italy. On the way she meets with orders of monks who are following different agendas in the upcoming events. Johanna herself plays a key role, since she has been named in the prophecies.

Let's stop there. I think I've said enough to make it clear why people criticise the film. It's a problem of religion. The film assumes that God exists and is guiding the lives of Johanna and the other principal characters. This alienates non-believers who watch the film, and they say the plot is unbelievable. The film also shows that leading men in the Catholic Church are evil, which alienates believing Catholics. On the other hand, the film still tells us that the Catholic Church represents God on Earth, so it alienates believing Protestants, and also those who believe in other religions. The film's subject matter turns everyone against it. This biases people against accepting the high quality of the acting and the cinematography. All I can say to my German speaking readers is that you should clear your mind of religious prejudices. This film is a masterpiece of German cinema on so many levels. Watch it and try to enjoy it.