JOSHUA

Posted by Canfield at 2:43pm.

Posted in Film & DVD Reviews .

What distinguishes Joshua from other movies that feature preternaturally intelligent, possibly evil children seems obvious. Joshua is no demon ala’ Damien from The Omen, and the film Joshua isn’t even a horror movie in the strict sense like so many others it could be compared to (see The Bad Seed, The Good Son). But just like those movies it never quite gets over the awkwardness of its premise which we can only buy into if the process of Joshua’s eventual mastery of those around him seems utterly organic and not contrived as merely part of a genre narrative. Joshua is a movie that wants to bring this concept into the arthouse but never quite gets out of the same territory occupied by a well made for Television thriller. Of course these days that’s saying a lot in terms of quality. This misses being a truly great film by more than just an inch.

Will you be creeped out enough to enjoy yourself? The film is certainly worth purchasing as it will take more than one viewing to sort out the complex relationships established between real world elements of broken family life and otherworldly child sociopathy. Is Joshua the product of nature or nurture or both or is it possible that some other supernatural evil has taken root. Whatever your take on this question this film emerges as a solid genre entry well worth checking out and discussing with friends.

Special features on the DVD include director/writer commentary, deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews, Dave Matthews music video, and footage of young Jack Kogan’s audition make this a solid purchase.

Reader Comments

Gummo 01/10/2008 @ 3:50pm

I saw this at the frightfest last summer, and enjoyed it immensely. It certainly scores points for its restraint, and the fine cast all do a remarkable job of keeping the slow building tension believable - not least Sam Rockwell, who is as eminently watchable as always.

I’ll be picking up the DVD for sure..