New movie ‘The Last Supper’ depicts Jesus’ last days told through the eyes of his followers

CNA Staff, Mar 8, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

“The Last Supper” is a new movie depicting the ultimate act of divine love and sacrifice told through the eyes of those who walked alongside Jesus Christ. Mauro Borrelli, a Catholic, served as the film’s writer and director and award-winning Christian artist Chris Tomlin was the film’s executive producer, marking Tomlin’s first time stepping into theatrical filmmaking.

The film will be released on March 14 in theaters across the United States.

Borrelli and Tomlin spoke to CNA about the inspiration behind the film and what they hope viewers will take away from it, especially given its release during Lent. 

The inspiration for the film came from Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper. Borrelli had the idea to shoot an entire movie in one room depicting this historical moment; however, as he began to write the script, the story quickly began to expand.

“I was really passionate about the idea of expanding such an important moment of the Eucharist,” Borrelli told CNA. “People go to church all the time, they receive Communion, and they hear those words, ‘This is my body,’ and it’s such an important moment but they don’t have many images to connect [to it]. So I said, ‘I want to expand that.’”

The Catholic director pointed out how important he felt it was to make the movie “as plausible and accurate” as possible. In order to do this, he did a great amount of research and delved into the Gospels and the Torah.

After watching the film himself, Tomlin felt inspired to get involved in any way he could and use his platform to help spread the word about the movie.

“It’s so well done, it’s so beautifully done, and it’s so biblically right on the money. It just brings God’s word to life and it’s not Hollywood,” Tomlin told CNA. “I was really moved by the way it was done.”

Not only does Tomlin serve as executive producer, but also his new song, “No Greater Love,” will also be featured in the film. He shared that he wrote the song before getting involved with the film, but once he was working on it he was asked if he had any songs that might work to include. He told them he had just written a song he hadn’t played for anyone yet. After playing them a demo they all thought “it was spot on … It was like I’d watched the movie and wrote the song.”

Another aspect that both Borrelli and Tomlin touched on is the portrayal of Judas in “The Last Supper.” In many films, Judas is typically not shown too much up until the point of betrayal. However, in “The Last Supper” Judas has a more prominent role and viewers get to know him better. 

Borrelli explained that he wanted to show that “Judas was not the evil guy.”

“Judas, for me, is not a bad guy. He’s just a guy that was taken by Satan and was not strong enough to step out from that. But also, he was part of a divine prophecy. So, he’s needed,” he said.

Tomlin touched on the point that “Jesus loved him [Judas] even though he knew he’d betray him and I just think people are going to find that there’s something powerful about seeing it brought to life this way.”

To this point, Borrelli added that he felt that there is a “metaphorical representation of people today” in the representations of Peter and Judas.

“So, two people that at a certain point reach a moment where their direction can be lost but one goes the wrong direction and doesn’t find a way to come out from that — that’s Judas — and the other one finds a way to step out. So there is hope,” he explained. 

Borrelli said he hopes this representation is something viewers take away from the film and that “we’re all human beings and we can all fail, but we have to keep our faith burning and [not] lose hope.”

“I hope people are reminded that Jesus invites you to the table,” Tomlin shared. “He invites you to come and he wants a relationship with you, and that’s powerful.”

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/262593/new-movie-the-last-supper-depicts-jesus-last-days-told-through-the-eyes-of-his-followers