BEHOLD the MAN

Plot Summary

The following is the basic plot behind this film. To get the full effect and all the nuances of the story, I strongly suggest that you read the screenplay.

This is not a scene by scene walk through, but only a bare bones description of the story.

Act I

We meet and learn about Karl Glogauer and the forces that shape his life. Sexually abused as a child by Brother Paulus at his elementary school and by Mr. Dwight at his secondary school, Karl has built a bond with Jesus Christ as his savior and identifies strongly with him. His parents provide no protection for Karl, in fact, they make the arrangements for Karl to spend more time with Paulus, "… for his own good". Karl is not a popular boy in school and is the object of many humiliations. Karl retreats farther into himself. As a 10 year old, he attempts suicide by hanging. His parents dismiss it as an attention getting device. Karl’s parents separate when he is about 11, and in a big scene, both squarely blame Karl for the problems in their relationship and the breakup.

As Karl grows older, his preoccupation with Christ continues. In college, he becomes friendly with James Headington, a rich non-conforming science major. James is a genius and has the money to back his ideas. Karl, however, still is an outsider with few friends.

Karl and James meet Monica Blank in a bar one evening. She is high. She is a drug addict who pays for her drugs by turning tricks (and other unsavory things) for the local drug dealer to earn money to support her habit. Karl rescues her and they fall in love. He promises to always be with her.

Through their relationship, Karl’s obsession with Jesus grows. Along with his inner feelings of worthlessness (brought on by his experiences as a child), he feels "crowded" by Monica’s need for him and unworthy of his role as her "savior". After a huge fight one night, where he says some very cruel and devastating things to Monica, Karl walks out. Standing on the street later, he sees Monica in the window of his 5th floor apartment. Their eyes meet – and she jumps headfirst out of the window.

Karl blames himself for Monica’s suicide. His cruel comments in the heat of anger and fear. Karl tries to commit suicide, but is rescued by James.

As he is recovering, is becomes apparent that he will try again. Karl feels he must "see" Jesus to try and understand how he could be so cruel with Monica and to beg forgiveness for his lack of worth. James offers an alternative. He has invented a time machine and can send Karl back to the time of Jesus. Karl accepts.

Act II

The time machine works and Karl crash lands in the time of Jesus. He is taken in by the Essenes and nursed back to health. He learns the language and develops a "friendship" with John the Baptist using his father's name, Emmanuel. He becomes integrated into the daily life of the Essenes.

Karl participates in their rituals - self-mortification, baptism and starvation. He begins to see hallucinations.

John the Baptist tries to convince Karl to help him rally the Essenes and re-invigorate their commitment to the revolution. John believes Karl is a great magus as foretold in the prophesies. John wants Karl to baptize him in front of the Essenes as a sign.

Karl finally agrees. When the day comes, Karl panics and is overcome. He asks John to baptize HIM. John goes with the new direction and baptizes Karl. Karl, choking from swallowed water, runs off into the desert.

Karl runs and runs until he falls in a faint. When he awakens, he realizes he is lost. In trying to find his way back under the blistering sun, he wanders deeper and deeper into the desert.

Suffering from hunger, thirst and sunstroke, Karl comes upon a hill. He tries to climb. After much difficulty he gets to the summit. He falls asleep. He is awakened by a disembodied voice. It is Monica accusing him of killing her. Karl begins to scream.

Act III

Karl, in a haze, is looking for Nazareth. After meetings with Roman Legionnaires and Herod's soldiers, Karl finds Nazareth. He stumbles into town, dirty, hungry and thirsty, with the look of a madman or wandering prophet about him. A beggar gives him directions to Joseph's house.

Joseph is a dour disagreeable man. Mary is a shrew, with eyes for any man around. He introduced to Jesus:

"The figure comes into the light. It is misshapen. It has a pronounced hunched back and there is a cast in its left eye. The face is vacant and foolish. There is spittle around its lips and a strand of drool hangs in the corner of its mouth."

Karl runs from the house - his mind in turmoil. Sitting against the wall of the synagogue, he agonizes over his discovery.

Soon hunger overtakes him and he returns to the house of Joseph. Joseph is gone on business. Mary feeds him, then takes him sexually in front of Jesus.

Slowly, Karl becomes Jesus. He begins to mimic what he has read of Jesus' ministry in the Bible. He performs "miracles". He assembles the chosen twelve. He descends into madness - losing his own identity to assure the reality of Jesus Christ.

Karl foretells the events of his final days in Jerusalem to his apostles. He orchestrates events to assure his capture by the Romans. He arranges his own arrest with the help of Judas.

Karl is convicted and sentenced.

Ending from the screenplay:

CUT TO: EXT. THE ROAD TO GOLGOTHA. THE NEXT DAY – LATE AFTERNOON.

KARL staggers behind the heavy wooden cross. It is being carried by another. The streets are crowded, but unnaturally silent. He is wearing a crown of thorns and bears the marks of the ritual humiliations performed on him. His eyes do not focus. Occasionally, he staggers off the road, but a Roman guard nudges him back. As he travels up the stony slope, he falls again and again. He reaches the top as the sun is setting. He slips one final time, cutting his head on a sharp stone. He faints.

CUT TO: EXT. GOLGOTHA. SHORT TIME LATER.

KARL is tied to the cross. A soldier throws water in his face. He regains consciousness. KARL can hear no sound. Deathly silent. He looks to his left and sees a large iron peg being driven into his hand. The soldier misses several times with his hammer. KARL’s fingers are smashed and bloody. Shortly, he is completely nailed to the rough wooden cross. Using pulleys, the cross with KARL is hauled into place. KARL notices that there are no others being crucified that day.

It is getting darker. KARL can see the lights of Jerusalem in the distance. He looks down and sees a woman. She pauses and looks up at him.

KARL

Monica?

She turns and walks away. He feels the pain increase as the pegs rip his flesh from the weight of his body. It is full dark. He hears whispered voices below.

KARL

(with a cracked voice.)

Let me down. Please. Please. Stop it.

One of the men below looks up. He nudges the man next to him.

MAN 1

You hear? ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani’? ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.’

They laugh.

CUT TO: EXT. GOLGOTHA. IN THE HOURS BEFORE SUNRISE.

There are very few spectators left. Only a couple of Roman guards stand watch. KARL coughs.

GUARD 1

It’s funny. Yesterday they were worshipping the bastard. Today they seemed to want to kill him – even the ones who were closest to him.

GUARD 2

I’ll be glad when we get out of this country.

KARL coughs one more time. His breathing is becoming more shallow. He mutters.

KARL

It’s a lie – it’s a lie – it’s a lie …

With one last explosion of breath, KARL dies.

SLOW FADE OUT TO BLACK.

Graphic on screen:

Later, after his body was stolen by the servants of some doctors who believed it might be found to have special properties, there were rumors that he had not died. But the corpse was already rotting in the doctor’s dissecting rooms, and would soon be destroyed.

FADE TO BLACK. CLOSING CREDITS.