The Carpenter’s Son, 2025.
Written and Directed by Lotfy Nathan.
Starring Nicolas Cage, Noah Jupe, FKA twigs, Isla Johnston, Souheila Yacoub, and Kaiti Manolidaki.
SYNOPSIS:
A remote village in Roman-era Egypt explodes into spiritual warfare when a carpenter, his wife and their child are targeted by supernatural forces.
Inspired by events in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, writer/director Lotfy Nathan’s slow-burning biblical horror story, The Carpenter’s Son, is far from divine. Centered on a young Jesus Christ (referred to as The Boy and played by Noah Jupe), the film causes one to wonder if one of his earliest miracles involved manipulating time, considering that after having sat through this mostly tedious bore with emphasis on the slow-burn part despite an admittedly bonkers third act with creepy imagery aplenty, the 94-minute running time feels 154.
Jokes aside, this is a preteen Jesus who has yet to actually become that performer of miracles, here hiding out in a village somewhere in Egypt with his family Joseph the Carpenter (Nicolas Cage, bugging out like always, typically at the most inappropriate and distracting moments) and Virgin Mary (a rough and stilted turn from FKA twigs; look, don’t ask me to explain the casting on this one), as the former doesn’t believe the world is quite ready for what he might be capable of. Joseph might also be undergoing a crisis of faith, wondering whether The Boy will live up to expectations.
Nevertheless, The Boy is enrolled in some teachings while under strict orders to stay away from the sick, unwashed masses. Meanwhile, The Boy is going through puberty and slowly developing an understanding of his healing powers (such as smashing an insect in the palm of his hand and bringing it back to life). He is also drawn to interacting with a girl his age, known as The Stranger (Isla Johnston), who gives off odd, potentially malevolent vibes from the second she’s introduced, perceiving the suffering around them differently. Then there are the townspeople who might not be mentally or spiritually prepared for such supernatural powers. Essentially, this is a story wondering what it would be like if Jesus Christ were unsure if he wanted to be, well, Jesus Christ. That was also the plot of the modern-day-set Brightburn, released pre-pandemic, which itself didn’t make good on the concept but still has more going on than this take.
Before The Carpenter’s Son eventually gets around to some truly trippy visuals consisting of snakes ripped out of throats, hallucinations of evil, and a shot depicting mass bodies clinging onto a ledge that one can only assume is intended to be the entrance to the bowels of Hell, it often feels disinterested in doing much of anything. The seeds are planted for the inevitable broad horror strokes, wrapped up in an hour that slugs through mundane drama and questions with obvious answers, considering even those who haven’t read a single passage from the Bible will understand what the film is getting at and who these characters are, regardless of the script’s refusal to name any of them.
Nicolas Cage playing the material for zaniness and FKA twigs being sorely miscast and flat in her role also aren’t nearly enough to offset the solid work Noah Jupe and Isla Johnston are doing, with the latter elevating this to watchable alongside the inspired, nightmarish imagery in the finale. One sees the appeal and admires the craziness The Carpenter’s Son tediously arrives at, but Sunday school is more compelling than the journey there. That’s heresy, given the movie’s plot.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder
