Joshua

Horrorphile

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Joshua

October 8th 2009 04:07

Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga) Cairn have just had a baby daughter, Lily, sister to nine-year-old Joshua (Jacob Kogan). They are an affluent family living in a spacious high-rise apartment in Manhattan. Joshua is a frighteningly intelligent, but eccentric young boy. He dresses and behaves like a grown adult. His curiosity is curious to say the last. He is very adept on the piano forte, which impresses his gay aesthete uncle, Abby’s close-knit brother Ned (Dallas Roberts). Joshua likes Ned.

Brad’s folks, especially Hazel (Celia Weston), are uncomfortable with how Joshua is being raised. Being born-again Christians they want him baptized, at the very least. Joshua is quietly obsessed with death and chaos, and in particular Egyptian history. Much to Brad’s shock Joshua disembowels his teddy bear, claiming to be copying the ritualistic patterns of the Pharaohs. Joshua constantly questions the love of his parents. It becomes quickly clear that Joshua is threatened by Lily, and the love his folks bestow on her. He formulates a diabolical master plan.

Joshua Sam Rockwell, David Kogan, Vera Farmiga

Happy family: Brad (Sam Rockwell), Joshua (David Kogan), Abby (Vera Farmiga) and baby Lily

Joshua (2007), a solid straight-to-DVD production that although doesn’t possess much cinematic verve certainly enthralls with its tightly-paced narrative, strong performances (although I wasn’t entirely convinced by young Kogan’s portrayal of the unhinged eponymous character), and a seriously disturbed denouement. This is one screwed-up little yarn of love gone drastically askew. It’s a confusing tale too, with the screenplay by David Gilbert and director George Ratliff throwing a large red herring in the mix which only serves to frustrate the viewer.

Joshua seems to relish video footage of mother's nervous breakdown

The movie’s last quarter of an hour escalates into virtual hysteria, and unveils a desperate and powerfully nightmarish scenario. But just what has happened? And what in the hell was going on in the upstairs apartment?! The Australian censor’s MA warning on the DVD states: “Child abuse theme”. Of course this concept is sitting in the viewer’s head through the duration of the movie, only to have the subject matter slap the viewer in the face, pulling the rug out from underneath, leaving the viewer appalled at the consequences, and very intrigued as to where the story would unfold from there. Even Uncle Ned, after hearing Joshua’s “explanatory” piano composition, seems genuinely unnerved and a trifle anxious.

Brad tries to restrain the rage of his wife against their son

The Australian release has given the movie a sub-title (which curiously is in even larger letters than the original title); The Devil’s Child. This is somewhat misleading, and also gives weight to the odd element of supernatural that lingers in a provocative way over the Cairn household. As I mentioned earlier, just what is all the weirdness with the upstairs apartment about? It’s as if the screenplay originally existed in a much more elaborate form, was cut down, but crucial sub-plot points still exist, only to mislead – or confuse – viewers.

Josh breaks his father's last straw

I’m a great fan of both Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga, and they make a convincing couple at the end of their tether. David Kogan’s performance is wooden, but I suppose that is part of the character; he is anally retentive, autistic even. That a child of that age could conjure, foster and implement a plan to get rid of his parents is a truly scary notion. We’ve seen elements of this before in numerous movies, most notably The Bad Seed (1960) and The Omen (1976). Joshua might appear on a surface level like a well-made television movie, but its subject matter and a few key scenes are played out to maximum effect. Joshua is a lesser known title - a problem child that flew under the radar - that is definitely worth checking out.