The Actor's Religious Horror Movie Is Less Extreme as It Sounds
The acclaimed actor could be the ideal choice for a bold horror film about the biblical figure, though not for the motivations many audiences may think. In reality, the star does not even play the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: the part he plays is credited simply as a craftsman. The actor is positioned as the Joseph in this story, striving to uphold his beliefs as the teenage character (acted by the young actor), his now-teenage adopted son, starts to show miraculous gifts. Why it's hard to imagine a different leading star playing this part is that even as the figure is weighed down with numerous challenges, the actor seems practically touchingly confident that this dark, somber little movie is deserving of his effort.
Cage's Recent Film Selections
Cage has using those years more carefully lately. He yet stars in additional projects than the majority of average viewers will ever see — as an illustration, were you informed that the man has completed three separate cowboy movies recently? — but he also mixes in prestige critically acclaimed roles like Dream Scenario, Pig, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son seems like one of those, because it’s not strictly scary, possibly controversial, and takes a campy-sounding premise quite seriously.
The Film's Plot and Direction
Sadly, filmmaker the director does not reward viewer engagement. The film begins with a interestingly wandering setting, marketed as inspired by an unknown scripture regarding the youthful days of the messiah. Cage's character, the maternal figure, and their child travel from place to place, fearful of faith-based hostility or suspicion about their son's mysterious gifts. “Disaster trails us,” The Carpenter gloomily remarks. It goes on when sinister entities attack the family where they currently live, beginning with that well-known scriptural test for the son.
Occasionally, the film resembles an Exorcist-style possession movie, though not one of the lead characters are clearly inhabited. Instead, they become progressively isolated from each other, when these entities infect a nearby girl (Isla Johnston, credited as an outsider) that the son forms a relationship with, and gives everyone troubling visions of a grim future. The Carpenter especially grapples with his position in the narrative, sometimes scolding the boy he can’t fully understand.
Controversy and Care
The content is likely to court controversy, and Nathan treats it with plenty of care — overly, maybe. The idea of a young man confronted with his destined offering and tempted by dark influences is certainly frightening, but Nathan might be cautious about seeming gratuitous and anxious to indicate his aims, thus he frequently falls back on darkly ominous visuals. Characters constantly ponder — FKA Twigs, who displayed notable talent in another movie, interestingly — surrenders her role to her character's costume, at times punctuated by some gnarly horror imagery.
The Star's Acting and Movie's Shortcomings
Simultaneously, the actor flirts with exactly the kind of melodramatic acting that his ironic fans may desire. One scene (also included) in promotional material in which Cage erupts and screams “My faith has been shattered!” If that kind of theatrical release is part of your religious scary film, perhaps a more openly absurd approach would take better advantage of Cage’s willingness to go over the top as required. Instead, The Carpenter’s Son echoes the poorer straight-to-DVD movies Cage made through much of that period — not the cheesy thrillers instead the narrative films and ghost stories that often seem intriguing, and often contain some select memorable scenes, but finally come across like, indeed, cheap home video fare.
Truthfully, some of those, though not as grand, were more watchable in general. Here is where I must disregard my usual practice, not religious but career-related: Long ago, an admired senior convinced me to remove words like “boring” or “dull” from my analytical lexicon. These phrases communicate minimal other than a personal and vaguely expressed lack of patience, withdrawing from the task of clearly expressing the mental and emotional experience of viewing an individual production. It’s difficult to express monotony without sounding boring oneself. It’s no more expressive as terming a movie “interesting.” “Elaborate,” that is.
However, I admit, I was bored for a large part of the film. On the positive side, it’s a churchy kind of boredom, not for this movie is preachy, but as it takes a sort of dutiful submission to view it. At some point early on, the film settles into a monotonous pattern of simmering anguish, and does not
