Josephine

Mason Reeves delivers one of the most stunning child performances in recent memory, while Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan lean into their familiar acting hallmarks but find uncomfortable new layers as a mother and father bound by their own upbringings. The result is visceral, gentle, and ultimately, shattering.

Facile explanations are absent from Josephine, as they should be, but what lingers is a sense that every gesture of empathy and bravery, no matter how small or imperfect, tips the scales towards good, even if trying feels like a losing fight.

In addition to regularly reviewing movies and working as a media journalist, I hold a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and specialize in treating post-traumatic stress disorder in patients across the lifespan. I don’t usually write reviews from a first-person perspective, nor do I address this other side of my career in such a setting, but Josephine, a new drama screening at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, warrants both. Seldom has there been a film in recent years to so accurately capture the insidious, tormenting, and often subtle ways in which the aftermath of traumatic events encroaches upon every corner of life for children unfortunately exposed to horrors far beyond their years.

It’s a tough watch, and it never presents easy answers, but there’s an undercurrent of hope that keeps it from ever being overly punishing and even a few moments of much-needed levity to balance out some of the bleakness.

A difficult and, at times, harrowing watch about an important subject, de Araújo’s unflinching eye and great care has a tonal precision the gravity of the events shown warrant.

Tatum manages to ground the viewer in his abject bewilderment and pain. It’s a instantly memorable performance in a haunting movie, one that I have carried with me in the hours since I’ve seen it. Perhaps that is the best thing I can say about this remarkable feature – for its viewers, as it is for its meticulously rendered subject, the disquiet lingers.

This intensely empathetic film—co-starring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan—has a tendency to tip into strident affectation. But thanks to newcomer Reeves, it still lands more than its fair share of punches.