Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, do not expect this story to unfold Hollywood-style. I thought Joshua would be like The Omen but it is more correct to call it a 'psychological thriller' because what's scary in this film is really all in your mind. Thrills come in the uncertainty and expectation of your fears exposed on screen. Joshua doesn't rely on any creepy special effects, so the effectivity only lasts for as long as you expect the worst.
Joshua is about how a weird 9-year old boy (Jacob Kogan) affects his family when his parents (Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga) dote on his newborn sister. At first it seems like he is just acting out his jealousy, but his ultra-proper manner makes the mundane extra creepy.
Kogan looks like Mandy Moore but somehow pulls off the empty and sometimes evil facial expressions necessary for his character. Farmiga impressively transforms from her glam role in The Departed to a mess of a mother undergoing post partum depression. Rockwell as Joshua's father is charming and likable enough and appears to be the only normal one in the entire cast.
The homage to the famous Odessa steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin became at first laughable but jarring soon after.
The story is pretty simple, overstretched and heavily ridden with plot holes but the film is undoubtedly beautifully shot; the intermittent piano playing makes you feel heady even when there is just slice-of-life silence.
Joshua is about how a weird 9-year old boy (Jacob Kogan) affects his family when his parents (Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga) dote on his newborn sister. At first it seems like he is just acting out his jealousy, but his ultra-proper manner makes the mundane extra creepy.
Kogan looks like Mandy Moore but somehow pulls off the empty and sometimes evil facial expressions necessary for his character. Farmiga impressively transforms from her glam role in The Departed to a mess of a mother undergoing post partum depression. Rockwell as Joshua's father is charming and likable enough and appears to be the only normal one in the entire cast.
The homage to the famous Odessa steps sequence in Battleship Potemkin became at first laughable but jarring soon after.
The story is pretty simple, overstretched and heavily ridden with plot holes but the film is undoubtedly beautifully shot; the intermittent piano playing makes you feel heady even when there is just slice-of-life silence.