Josephine Review: Haunting Story of Trauma and Effect It Has On Young Child
The 35th Philadelphia Film Festival is currently going on from now through October 25th and I was lucky enough to watch this film early through the film festival!
Director Beth de Araújo (Soft and Quiet) returns for her second feature film with Josephine, a heavy story about a little girl who witnesses a tragic event.
Synopsis:
"After eight-year-old Josephine (Mason Reaves) accidentally witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park, she begins to act out violently to protect herself. This emotional trauma leads to conflicts between her parents as they search for justice, and a way to feel safe again."
Cast:
Mason Reaves, Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Philip Ettinger, Syra McCarthy
Release Date:
In Limited Theaters November 20th, Full Release December 4th
Reaves Plays Out Traumatic Storytelling
To be perfectly honest, this is a film that may not appeal to more sensitive viewers. The source material is incredibly heavy, exploring the very serious threat of sexual assault. The first scene in the movie is Josephine (Mason Reaves) witnessing the crime, so the rest of the film deals with that and how it affects our characters. This not only comes with the physical threats, like Josephine finding trouble at school or the looming court situation, but also more imaginative dream-like sequences that are heartbreaking. It's a really impressive visual feat where the man who committed the crime actually appears seamlessly into certain scenes, which is both creepy and heartbreaking when it's coming through Josephine's eyes. It is also a very daring choice by director Beth de Araújo, who doesn't shy away from that characters presence. It makes this story feel incredibly rooted in human emotions and makes it a very devastating watch.
The main emotion comes from Mason Reaves' portrayal of Josephine herself. When the movie starts, you find yourself imagining how unthinkable it could be for a little girl to witness such a horrific crime. That's exactly the main throughline of this film, seeing what she goes through after being put in such an awful position. This comes in many forms, with the first being her curiosity of what the event actually means. That eventually devolves into anger and confusion, which Reaves absolutely shines in getting across. It's an incredibly difficult situation because you can hardly blame Josephine for whatever emotions she's feeling, but there comes a point towards the end where it just goes way too far. Even with her little film experience, Reaves puts in a star performance and is someone to watch in the industry going forward.
Tatum and Chan Play Tough Parents
Another big plotline in this one is the effect that Josephine's behavior has on her two parents, played by Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum. For Tatum's character, it's really about what his influence is on that behavior. Although he is portrayed as a very loving father and protective figure, there is clearly a deeper rooted anger inside him. These ideals eventually trickle down to Josephine, which can potentially be seen as the root cause for her shift in behavior. What the movie does a great job at is although Tatum is painted as a pretty rough influence at times, it also does show that the love he has for his daughter is still there. Although some of the tactics he has and the ways he goes about the situation are way too far, it paints him as another victim of the trauma. He was just a few steps behind when Josephine saw the event, which gives him both a sense of guilt and also need to protect her more than ever before.
As for Chan's character, she's put in an even more difficult situation as a woman. Her daughter has not only seen a horrible thing, but now has to be exposed to a fear that no little girl should have to learn. Tatum's character feels the need to lie to Josephine and say that it'll guaranteed never happen to her, but Chan plays out her role with much more hesitation of going that route. She knows that this is something that could literally happen to anyone, and maybe that the best route is to be as honest with her daughter as possible. This is where Chan really shines, as she has to figure out her role as a mother with her world compleltey changed forever. This leads to a lot of arguments between Chan and Tatum, who mostly have been portrayed as a wonderful couple to this point. The movie doesn't lean too hard into this though, again making it a realistic family story where even a loving couple can go through serious struggles.
Sharp and Quick Dialogue Helps Pacing
This film stands at a runtime around two hours and isn't exactly the most action-packed story. However, outside of the fascinating exploration of trauma, it succeeds in utilizing every bit of dialogue to the fullest. It's not overly dialogue heavy, which I assume was an intentional choice by the filmmakers. This movie really lets you sit with its characters a lot, something that led to the emotional feelings I got watching this. However, when there are scenes with more speaking, the screenplay is incredibly sharp. Especially in the more tense scenes, usually involving the legal side of the story, the overwhelming discussions seem to put the viewer into the feelings of the main family. Josephine herself asks many questions that a kid should never have to think, but is and those scenes always feel very rooted in reality. Michael Angelo Covino's character is basically used as their representative for the legal system and his dialogue serves as a stark difference to the usually reserved family. This dynamic proved really prominent towards the back end and that adds to the point that this movie knows exactly what to do with each character. With all that understanding, you won't feel the runtime one bit.
Direction Leads to Crushing Ending
The direction by Beth de Araújo throughout this film is outstanding, but it especially becomes true towards the end. I obviously won't go deep into anything, but the final 20-30 minutes really see our characters falling as far as they can. This is a buildup that has been felt from beginning to end and can't come at a worse time for our characters. However it doesn't linger any longer then it needs to, trusting the final scenes to portray every emotion necessary. This starts with a scene that could come from a genuinely well-written courtroom drama, followed by several heartbreaking subtle moments. That's really the key part of this direction and storytelling - subtle storytelling that is actually felt in the exact way it was intended. You will find yourself emotionally crushed by this whole film, but especially with the ending. It shows the growth of each character involved and generally the power of healing between people we love, no matter what we've been put through.
Final Thoughts
For me, this film was probably the single most emotional project of the year so far. It deals with so many serious themes, looking at them from a point of awareness and care. It's a standout job from everyone involved and one I hope campaigns for awards later this year!
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
2026 Ranked:
Follow Alex on Letterboxd!
Comments