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The acclaimed actor is likely the perfect choice for a daring scary movie about the biblical figure, but not for the reasons certain viewers could guess. In reality, the star does not actually play the central religious figure in The Carpenter’s Son: his role is listed simply as The Carpenter. Cage is framed as the Joseph within this tale, working to maintain his faith as his son (acted by the young actor), his teenage adopted son, begins to show divine powers. The explanation it's challenging to envision another leading star in this role is that while his character becomes weighed down with multiple trials, the actor seems almost touchingly confident that this dark, bleak feature is deserving of his effort.

The Actor's Latest Career Choices

Cage was using that time more judiciously lately. He continues to makes additional projects than most average viewers could possibly view — as an illustration, did you know that the actor has made three different frontier films in the past three years? — but he also includes prestige critically acclaimed roles like Dream Scenario, another notable movie, and Longlegs. The Carpenter’s Son appears to be a similar project, as it’s borderline horror, possibly controversial, and takes a over-the-top premise in a earnest manner.

Movie's Premise and Handling

Unfortunately, writer-director the director does not justify that serious attention. The film starts from a compellingly nomadic place, positioned as based on an obscure religious text concerning Christ’s childhood. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and their child move frequently, afraid of religious persecution or doubt regarding their son's unusual abilities. “Disaster trails us,” Cage sadly observes. It goes on as dark forces attack the household in their latest settlement, initiating on the traditional religious challenge for The Boy.

Sometimes, the film resembles an Exorcist-style horror film, except that not one of the central roles are directly possessed. On the contrary, they grow progressively isolated from one another, when these powers affect a local young woman (the actress, credited as “The Stranger”) who the son connects to, and presents each character troubling visions of a grim future. The Carpenter especially fights with his role within the plot, at times berating the boy who mystifies him.

Debate and Care

This material is likely to invite debate, and Nathan treats it with plenty of delicacy — excessive, maybe. The idea of a young man facing his destined offering and seduced by dark influences is certainly terrifying, but Nathan could be hesitant regarding seeming gratuitous and keen to signal his aims, so he often falls back on darkly ominous visuals. The roles continually reflect — FKA Twigs, who demonstrated real promise in another movie, interestingly — cedes her acting to her religious attire, at times punctuated by some disturbing frightening scenes.

The Star's Portrayal and Film's Weaknesses

Simultaneously, Cage dabbles in exactly the kind of exaggerated performance that his ironic fans might be looking for. There is a moment (featured) in previews in which he flips out and screams “I’ve lost my faith!” Should such of dramatic explosion is part of your Jesus-themed horror movie, perhaps a more openly absurd method would be more effective of Cage’s willingness to be extreme as required. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son more closely resembles the weaker straight-to-DVD films Cage made during the 2010s — not the cheesy thrillers but rather the dramas and supernatural thrillers that often seem intriguing, and often contain some select memorable scenes, but in the end seem like, indeed, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Frankly, a number of those, though not as grand, were more watchable as a whole. Here is where I must disregard my usual practice, not religious but career-related: Years back, an admired senior convinced me to remove descriptive terms like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my analytical lexicon. These phrases express scant but a personal and generically described lack of patience, avoiding the duty of vividly conveying the intellectual and feeling of seeing a specific film. It's hard to communicate monotony without sounding boring personally. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “engaging.” “Elaborate,” essentially.

But I must confess, I felt uninterested for a large part of The Carpenter’s Son. To the movie’s non-exploitative credit, it’s a churchy kind of boredom, not for this movie is preachy, but because it takes a type of patient acceptance to watch it. At some point early on, the movie locks into a cyclic tempo of simmering anguish, and never really