Joshua, directed by George Ratliff, USA, 2007. Review by Julian on 3/9/08.
For a movie about an evil kid, Joshua sure spends a lot of time trying to convince the viewer that it’s really something else. There’s a solid hour of psychological development as an upper class New York family (Sam Rockwell, Vera Farmiga and Jacob Kogan as the titular 9-year-old) adjusts to the birth of a second child. Sleeping patterns are disrupted, in-laws fight over the newborn’s religious orientation, and mother Abby fights a massive bout of postpartum depression. The build-up is surprisingly tense and engrossing, but one can’t help but feel that the characters are simply circling and waiting for the real drama to unfold.
That drama comes in the form of Joshua, a preternaturally brilliant and perpetually creepy kid who possesses a degree of patience that no one –least of all the audience—can be expected to match. His “evil” plan –it is evil, and it is a distinct plan—is executed with such subtlely that the film never really gets off its feet. That’s not to say the film is boring; the acting is excellent, the writing sharp enough, and the direction mostly capable.
The problem lies with the audience’s expectations. Previous entries into the “evil child” subgenre include such crapfests as The Omen (either version), The Good Son, and Village of the Damned. If someone decides to take in a movie about killer offspring, they’re not anticipating a solid drama: they want to hear the nanny scream “It’s all for you Damien!” or see Macaulay Culkin fall out of a treehouse. For the record, this film offers neither.
Pretty much the only film with a narrative and approach similar to Joshua is The Bad Seed, an occasionally overlooked film that shares most of this one’s strengths and weaknesses. Seed, however, had the good sense to let the audience in on the fun pretty much from the get-go. While Joshua’s execution is certainly strong, there’s just not enough behind the curtain to justify keeping it up for quite so long.
Rating: 3 screens (out of 5)
