(The Toronto International Film Festival (or TIFF) ran September 10-20 and HtN had boots on the ground covering all the best indie films they have to offer. Check out Chris Reeds’s Josephine movie review from the fest! Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)
In Josephine, writer/director Beth de Araújo (Soft & Quiet) has created a harrowing drama about a child witnessing something terrible. The titular 8-year-old is the only one who can definitively place a violent criminal at the scene, even if she doesn’t fully understand what she saw. As difficult to watch as the film may be, it is also gripping and profound.
Good parents strive to protect their children from harm, no matter how difficult that may be. Damien (Channing Tatum, The Lost City) loves his daughter dearly, waking up every morning to run with her to the park and play a round of soccer. Josephine (Mason Reeves) in turn adores her dad, very much taking after him in terms of athleticism and interest in sports.
Unfortunately, on the day we meet them, the two separate and Josephine ends up in a different spot from Damien, where she observes a man raping a woman. Confused, she eventually approaches, at which point the aggressor (Philip Ettinger, Wildcat) gets up and walks towards her. It’s then that Damien shows up, giving chase to the man.
The mother, Claire (Gemma Chan, The Creator), thinks Josephine needs therapy. I would argue that she does, indeed, but Damien thinks self-defense classes are the way to go. The further question remains, however, whether or not their daughter should testify in court. Especially since Sandra (Syra McCarthy), the victim, has left town and wants no further part of the case.
We observe as Josephine and her parents struggle, each in their own way, relationships fracturing over time. The close bond between Damien and Josephine suffers, particularly once Claire reveals she’s pregnant again. All the while, our protagonist hallucinates the presence of the villain in her bedroom and the rest of the house, at all times. Her nightmares become a living reality.
De Araújo often places us directly inside Josephine’s point of view, the camera presenting the world as she sees it, then shifting for a more objective perspective. This technique proves distinctly effective in the initial traumatic sequence and then later in court, where Josephine faces off against an aggressive defense attorney. This child comes of age far too early, the true tragedy of the story (an impressive thing to write, given the rape).
Reeves holds her own, and then some, opposite her veteran costars. Tatum uses his physicality to play a jock father rapidly out of his element, and Chan is a strong presence as the complete opposite. In her few scenes, McCarthy breaks our heart, most notably when she thanks Josephine for her efforts. It’s tough going, but well worth the experience.
– Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@ChrisReedFilm)
