

Esther, the beautiful queen of Persia, intervenes to save the Jewish people from a bloody massacre.
Acting
Louise Lombard's calculated stillness — she weaponizes femininity.
Production
Surprisingly lush for a TV movie — those Persian sets slapped.
Writing
The dialogue actually crackles; Haman's villainy is delicious.

Director
Raffaele Mertes
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Book of Esther is the only biblical text never mentioning God directly — this adaptation leans into that absence, making human cunning the engine of salvation.
F. Murray Abraham won his Oscar playing Salieri in Amadeus; here he's Mordechai, the uncle engineering a queen's rise. The man knows his way around court intrigue.