If The Omen were made in the twenty-first century by as an independent psychological thriller comedy it would resemble George Ratliff’s Joshua.
Joshua is not your typical 9-year-old. He wears suits, it smarter than kids two years older than him, and doesn’t like sports. When his parents give birth to a new baby, Joshua becomes obsessed with jealousy and takes action to ruin the family. Sam Rockwell gives an authentic performance as a father who is pushed to the extreme limits.
Creepy, unsettling and Intriguing, Joshua is better than any psychological thriller that Hollywood has cranked out in years. But it’s not perfect. There are some slightly unbelievable sequences (the video camera scenes among the couple), and some under-whelming performances early on as things begin. It might not go where you expect or want it to go, but it is sure to take you on a ride you won’t regret.
/Film Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga, Celia Weston, Dallas Roberts, Michael McKean
Directed by: George Ratliff
July 12th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
JOSHUA
It’s not surprising that “Joshua†was an official selection for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. “Joshua†is an emotional magnet; viewers sympathize with all of the characters, including the young, prodigious sociopath whose moniker titles the film. As compelling as it is tragic, “Joshua†highlights many ills of the domestic sphere, ranging from postpartum depression to child neglect. Vera Farmiga’s (Abby Cairn) portrayal of a mother suffering from postpartum depression is phenomenal; I found myself actually reacting to a character, loathing her for her lack of sense. Such a reaction I find to be a rarity in modern cinema, as few actors can pull viewers into a dimension where lines, sets, and character pretenses become what they are meant to be – a story devoid of actors and rich with humanity.
January 26th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Dont bother with this movie. Weak storyline and was one of the worst movies of the year. This movie sucks.
January 28th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
This is one of the absolute worst movies I’ve ever seen in my life. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat alright- sitting there waiting for something exciting to happen (which never does)! Seriously, I cannot even to begin to explain how horrid this film is…… and those are precious minutes taken away from your life that you’ll never get back!
February 4th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I really liked this movie. I would recommend it to anyone
who wants the movie to end the way that they
don’t want it to end. I was hooked from the very beginning
and hope that my kids don’t end up anything like joshua.
February 18th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
This movie really confused me i dont get it at all!! can someone help me out here???
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
gosh, it is a very cool and crazy.
i`m wondering how the end.
i mean joshua`s life next with his uncle.
is that joshua real voice in the ending song?
May 13th, 2008 at 12:45 am
dear kayla,
the movie was not too hard to understand.
upon the birth of his younger sibling, joshua was jealous at the amount of attention the baby received rather than himself. his jealousy caused him to obsess over breaking the family apart.
early on, he finds the tape of his mother going crazy (because he cried so much), and takes it one step further, by making the baby cry every night. This drives his mother completely insane, borderline schizophrenic.
he videotapes himself waking up the baby, expecting his father to eventually find it. once his father finds it, his father starts suspecting things of joshua (death of the class pets and the dog). then the ’suspicious’ death of joshua’s grandmother leads his dad to locking everything in the house, and protecting the baby.
Joshua then takes it another step further. by researching signs of abuse on the internet, he finds that one symptom (along with bodily bruises) is drawings of violent images. by drawing these, his father is convinced that he’s a sociopath, and calls in a child psychologist, who reveals to the father that this is actually a textbook sign of child abuse.
this all leads to the scene in the park, where joshua tempts his father by taking the baby’s pacifier and standing on a statue. after acting like an insolent bitch, he finally says to his dad “no one will ever love you.” the father cracks, and beats the shit out of joshua in public. he gets arrested.
so now, joshua has accomplished his mission. the father is going to be in jail (or at least away from his kids), the mother is in a mental institution, and he’s left at home with his gay piano-playing uncle. and they all lived psychotically ever after. the end.
June 8th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Is it just me or did anyone else think that the relationship between the mom and mom’s brother was just a tad too touchy feely. I thought Joshua was the product of an incestuous affair and was really the uncles child, which inbreeding would account for such bizarre behaviours and the moms long term psych issues. I thought the piano scene at the end confirmed my suspicion. They also sure did look alike and love the piano. I guess this will all be revealed in Joshua 2.
June 9th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Thanks man the dead!!