The Actor's Religious Horror Movie Isn't as Wild as It Sounds
Nicolas Cage may be the optimal choice for a bold horror film about Jesus Christ, but not for the motivations many viewers may think. Actually, Cage does not even play the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: his character is credited simply as a craftsman. He is positioned as the Joseph within this tale, striving to keep his faith as his son (played by Noah Jupe), his now-teenage foster child, begins to display supernatural abilities. The reason it's hard to picture a different prominent performer taking this character is that even as his character is stricken with numerous challenges, the actor looks almost touchingly certain that this murky, grim small film is worth his time.
The Actor's Current Projects
Nicolas Cage has been using his time more selectively lately. He still does more movies than the majority of casual fans could possibly view — as an illustration, did you know that the actor has made three different frontier films in the past three years? — yet he also adds esteemed A24/Neon gigs like Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. This new film appears to be in that category, because it’s not strictly scary, possibly controversial, and handles a over-the-top premise in a earnest manner.
Movie's Storyline and Execution
Unfortunately, writer-director Lotfy Nathan does not reward that serious attention. The Carpenter’s Son starts from a interestingly wandering setting, presented as based on an apocryphal lost gospel about Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their child relocate frequently, afraid of doctrinal intolerance or doubt about The Boy’s unusual abilities. “Disaster trails us,” Cage mournfully notes. It goes on as dark forces target them at their new home, initiating on the familiar Biblical temptation for The Boy.
Sometimes, this production resembles an demonic possession-type horror film, though no one of the main figures are explicitly taken over. On the contrary, they become more and more distant mutually, while these powers infect a local young woman (Isla Johnston, listed as an outsider) that The Boy forms a relationship with, and presents all troubling visions of a bleak destiny. Cage's role in particular fights with his role within the plot, occasionally chastising his child he doesn't completely grasp.
Debate and Sensitivity
The content is apt to court controversy, and the director handles it with much care — too much, possibly. The idea of a adolescent confronted with his future martyrdom and lured by mysterious forces is indeed frightening, but Nathan could be wary of looking exploitative and anxious to indicate his aims, so he often withdraws to dimly foreboding filming. The roles continually reflect — the singer-actress, who demonstrated notable talent in another movie, surprisingly — surrenders her acting to her religious attire, occasionally interrupted by a few disturbing frightening scenes.
The Star's Portrayal and Film's Flaws
Simultaneously, the actor dabbles in just the sort of melodramatic acting that his ironic fans may desire. There is a moment (shown) in promotional material where Cage loses control and shouts “My faith has been shattered!” If that kind of florid outburst is a component of your Jesus-themed horror movie, perhaps a more boldly ridiculous approach would be more effective of his eagerness to exaggerate as required. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son echoes the poorer low-budget productions Cage made through much of the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers but rather the serious stories and ghost stories that always sound promising, and frequently include several notable actor's highlights, but ultimately feel like, frankly, low-budget DTV material.
Frankly, several of these, while less ambitious, were easier to view as a whole. At this point I have to break my own dogma, not faith-based but career-related: Long ago, a respected mentor urged me to eliminate adjectives like “boring” or “dull” from my reviewing language. Such terms communicate minimal but a subjective and broadly stated impatience, withdrawing from the duty of vibrantly communicating the mental and feeling of watching a particular movie. It’s difficult to convey tedium without sounding boring personally. It's just as unclear as labeling a movie “notable.” “Explain further,” that is.
But I must confess, I felt uninterested throughout the film. On the positive side, it is a religious style of boredom, not due to this movie is lecturing, but because it takes a sort of obedient endurance to view it. At some point in the beginning, the movie settles into a cyclic tempo of simmering distress, and fails to
