The Actor's Jesus-Themed Horror Movie Isn't as Wild Than Expected

The acclaimed actor is likely the perfect pick for a audacious scary movie about the biblical figure, but not for the reasons certain viewers could guess. In reality, Cage does not actually portray the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is referred to merely as The Carpenter. Cage is framed as the Joseph of this narrative, striving to keep his beliefs while the teenage character (portrayed by Noah Jupe), his adolescent foster child, starts to display supernatural abilities. Why it's hard to picture another leading star playing this part is that even as his character becomes weighed down with various challenges, the actor seems almost moving convinced that this murky, somber small film is worth his time.

The Actor's Current Projects

Nicolas Cage has been spending those years more selectively lately. He yet stars in more movies than most casual fans could possibly view — for instance, were you informed that he has filmed three separate Westerns in the past three years? — however he also includes esteemed A24/Neon gigs for example Dream Scenario, Pig, and Longlegs. This new film seems like one of those, in that it’s genre-adjacent, likely to stir debate, and takes a exaggerated description quite seriously.

The Film's Storyline and Execution

Sadly, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not reward the audience's focus. The film starts from a interestingly wandering context, positioned as inspired by an obscure religious text concerning Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, The Mother, and their son relocate from place to place, afraid of faith-based hostility or distrust regarding The Boy’s mysterious gifts. “Trouble pursues us,” The Carpenter mournfully notes. That continues when sinister entities focus on the household in their latest settlement, initiating with that familiar Biblical temptation for the youth.

Occasionally, the film mirrors an Exorcist-style possession movie, but no one of the central roles are explicitly taken over. Rather, they become increasingly alienated from one another, as these forces affect a nearby girl (the actress, named an outsider) that the son forms a relationship with, and provides each character unsettling premonitions of a grim future. The Carpenter notably grapples with his place in the narrative, sometimes scolding the son who mystifies him.

Controversy and Sensitivity

This material is apt to court controversy, and Nathan approaches it with much delicacy — too much, possibly. The notion of a young man confronted with his future martyrdom and lured by unknown powers is certainly terrifying, but Nathan may be wary of seeming gratuitous and anxious to telegraph his intentions, thus he frequently withdraws to dimly foreboding filming. The roles continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who displayed notable talent in a recent film update, surprisingly — yields her role to her character's costume, at times punctuated by several gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Acting and Movie's Weaknesses

At the same time, Cage dabbles in precisely the type of melodramatic acting that those who enjoy his campier roles might be looking for. One scene (featured) in promotional material where Cage flips out and yells “My belief is broken!” If that kind of florid outburst is included in a biblical thriller, perhaps a more boldly ridiculous approach would make better use of Cage’s willingness to exaggerate as required. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son more closely resembles the less successful straight-to-DVD productions the actor filmed through much of the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers instead the dramas and paranormal movies that often seem intriguing, and frequently include several notable Cage moments, but finally come across like, well, low-budget DTV material.

Honestly, a number of those, though not as grand, were more entertaining as a whole. Here is where I must break my personal rule, not religious but professional: Years back, a beloved editor persuaded me to banish descriptive terms like “boring” or “dull” from my film-criticism vocabulary. These words communicate minimal other than a personal and generically described lack of patience, withdrawing from the duty of vividly conveying the intellectual and feeling of seeing a particular movie. It's hard to express boredom without appearing dull oneself. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “notable.” “Say more,” essentially.

However, I admit, I was bored during much of The Carpenter’s Son. On the positive side, it’s a religious style of dullness, not for this movie is preachy, but as it takes a type of patient acceptance to view it. After a while in the beginning, this feature locks into a repetitive rhythm of ongoing suffering, and never really