“God made you to be a mother,” Rooney Mara is told in a new trailer for “Mary Magdalene.” But she insists that she’s “not made for that life,” and instead decides that she’ll commit herself to doing “God’s work,” a role that earns her a spot in the New Testament and the history books. The film promises to tell “the untold story” behind one of Jesus’ most famous followers.

Mary leaves home to join Jesus’ (Joaquin Phoenix) radical social movement that seeks to dismantle hierarchies and corruption. Her presence isn’t welcomed by everyone. “Never speak again in his name,” Paul the Apostle (Chiwetel Ejiofor) orders her. But she won’t be silent. “I will be heard,” she says.

Mara received Oscar nominations for her roles in “Carol” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”

Directed by Garth Davis (“Lion,” “Top of the Lake”), “Mary Magdalene” hits theaters in the UK March 16 with a U.S. release date TBA. Helen Edmundson (“An Inspector Calls”) and Philippa Goslett (“How to Talk to Girls at Parties”) penned the script.