JOSHUA

The Cairn family is the protagonist of a happy event: their second daughter, Lily, has just been born. Unfortunately, the birth of the baby girl is not a synonym for happiness, as the couple formed by Brad and Abby slowly begins to fall apart, especially due to a heavy nervous breakdown that strikes Abby, obsessed with the baby's cries and maternal responsibilities. The only one who remains always impassive in this palpable atmosphere of tension is Joshua, the firstborn, a nine-year-old intelligent and obedient child. But the child's apparent perfection hides an unsettling coldness that raises the doubt in the father that Joshua is actually scheming a method to eliminate the little sister and bring the attention and affection exclusively back to himself. Do you remember that episode of "The Simpsons" in which we are told about the birth of Lisa? Do you remember Bart's reaction who suddenly feels in the background due to the excessive attention focused on the newcomer? Well, "Joshua" is the drama-thriller version of that nice cartoon episode. Mischiefs, jealousies, tantrums, intra-family conflicts, couple crises, postpartum depression, religious fundamentalism, abuse accusations, child sadism, psychological disorders, all that and more is included in "Joshua", a film that would surely have wanted, been able to, say and do much more than what it actually tells and shows. The overall impression at the end of the viewing is that the director George Ratliff has continuously kept the brake pulled on any theme addressed, exploring several times different genres and using different narrative registers without finding in any of them the form that most satisfied him. The result is a raveled film that is absolutely not a horror, although it attempts to create tension with the language proper to the genre, it is not a thriller because there is no mystery to solve, although the director wants to make us believe, it is not a drama because it is too "genre" to be taken seriously. "Joshua", which in some countries has been presented with the misleading subtitle "The Devil’s Child", has a first part certainly interesting and somewhat original, in which we are presented with a certain intelligence and accuracy the family situation of the Cairns and their interpersonal dynamics, with a skillful description of the characters and attention to details. The Cairn spouses are presented to us as the typical somewhat bored upper-class couple: he is sympathetic and successful, perhaps still a bit adolescent in spirit, she is sometimes apprehensive, sometimes insecure, surely oppressed by family responsibilities for which she is clearly not suited. In this "calm chaos" family, Joshua acts undisturbed, a child too intelligent and too mature for his age; almost a diabolical presence, with that unsettling angelic air of someone who is plotting something. The good characterization of the characters is enhanced by the good performances of the actors, all in part, starting with Sam Rockwell ("The Green Mile"; "The Art of the Steal") in the role of the father, passing through Vera Farmiga ("15 Minutes"; "The Departed") in the role of the hysterical mother, and ending with the surprising Jacob Kogan, a Joshua too much in the role. A good first part, however, is followed by a second part that is not convincing, in which we are imposed as plot twists situations of which we already had full certainty, although a certain underlying ambiguity is always present. The intensification of the confrontation between father and son reaches heights of absurdity and the presence of some rather unconvincing characters ruins the realism built up to that point; clear examples are the park scene and the character of the doctor who comes to somewhat hasty conclusions about paternal responsibilities. What is perhaps most disconcerting is the void that ultimately resides behind this film, unfortunately confirmed by an ending devoid of any climax: everything that is gradually built during the almost two hours of film leads practically to nothing, giving us only an abnormally singing conclusion that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. George Ratliff, here in his debut with a feature film, has a sober and reflective style, perhaps a bit dated, that nevertheless fits very well with the type of story he wants to tell. His model is clearly Polanski (intimate drama set within domestic walls), but the result is closer to "The Innocence of the Devil", of which it preserves the theme treated but loses the underlying visual meanness and the almost exploitative taste. Here and there you can notice curious quotes from "Battleship Potemkin" (the stroller pushed already down the stairs) and from "The Exorcist" (the beginning with family reunion and sudden malady of the child). Potentially interesting, ultimately disappointing.