Director: Lotfy Nathan
Writer: Lotfy Nathan
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Noah Jupe, FKA Twigs
Synopsis: Family hiding in Roman Egypt. Son known as ‘the Boy’ doubts guardian ‘the Carpenter’, rebelling with mysterious powers. As he uses abilities, they face natural and divine horrors.
If you’ve ever been curious about the upbringing and youthful life of Jesus — yes, Jesus Christ — then writer and director Lotfy Nathan has just the film for you. A mixture of psychological horror and hysterical scripture shouting, The Carpenter’s Son is filled with spiritual violence and completely committed performances. Based on “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (an apocryphal gospel about Christ’s childhood), a devout Nicolas Cage bellows prayers while raising the Son of God. Bathed in its serious tone, which helps bolster tense moments, makes this non-biblical peek into Jesus’s life fascinating to behold.
Genre filmmaking is at its best when it’s telling stories that challenge its audiences, and Nathan does just that with The Carpenter’s Son. While it has its fair share of issues, it’s refreshing to see a view of the life of Jesus that is complicated, especially during his formative years. As the film begins, The Mother (FKA Twigs) screams in pain from birthing The Boy (Noah Jupe) in secret, with The Father (Nicolas Cage) keeping guard and assisting when possible. As The Boy takes his first breaths into the world, The Father knows that his son is different and deeply fears for his family’s safety. Quickly taking them on the road to seek shelter and lay low, The Boy’s powers are unable to be hidden as he grows.
The more whispers of the healing powers of The Boy make their way through the village, the more complicated this life becomes. While The Mother remains adamant that her son is special beyond what words can describe, the family’s faith is tested in numerous ways. The Father is undoubtedly abusive, mostly seen through the relationship between The Father and The Mother. Nathan frames the story with her in the background, and it’s one of the flaws The Carpenter’s Son has — cutting off her thoughts and feelings on her son’s well-being while being completely controlled by The Father. Their relationship is a point of confusion, with The Father seeming more like her handler than her partner.
The relationship between The Father and The Boy rarely feels attached to one another; throughout the film, The Father chastises his son, and while his fears for their safety are admirable, it poses interesting questions to the audience. If there’s an ability to help and heal those less fortunate, why shouldn’t it be shared? The Boy doesn’t completely understand his healing hands at first, and his young age leaves him susceptible to those who seek to take advantage. While being pranked by The Stranger (Isla Johnston), he unknowingly heals a leper. The more The Boy comes into his own and stands up to his overbearing father, the more powerful he becomes. The Father is a man who deeply wants the best for his child, but his faith in his son’s powers isn’t as deep as The Mother’s.
As any teenager, The Boy is tempted at every turn — showing interest in a beautiful young woman, being distracted from his studies, and listening to those who don’t have the best intentions for him. He is barely able to recite scripture and questions the practices of his teacher. These temptations make him relatable, and Nathan doesn’t shy away from showing the teen who will become Jesus as a flawed character. Jupe is easily the glue that holds the film together; his impassioned performance as a young Jesus shows a side of his life believers and nonbelievers alike rarely see. His conflicts with The Father are intense, and Jupe is able to hold his own against a talent like Cage, even outdoing him during their on-screen disagreements.
The biggest disappointment with The Carpenter’s Son is how underutilized FKA Twigs is, and while the camera undoubtedly loves her, it rarely is on her. She gets a few satisfactory minutes of screen time that make it worth her being in the film, but her soft-spoken nature is sorely missed. Her chemistry with Cage is abrasive and highlights the hardships women went through during these times — showing women as basically cattle rather than those who are allowed a say in their lives. It’s a shame that Nathan doesn’t highlight Twigs more in the film, but when she’s on screen with Jupe, their age gap doesn’t lend any favors to the believability that this is her son. She feels no doubt about how special her son is and always believes in his abilities, but Nathan doesn’t give the two enough to work with to make their relationship compelling. Twigs has a bright spark of becoming a unique actress, but The Carpenter’s Son doesn’t allow her to ignite.
Adapting from non-biblical stories makes each of the miracles The Boy creates seem less holy and more disturbing. Nathan making this a horror film was the correct decision, and it’s gnarly to witness. Snakes being pulled from throats, ears being bitten off, and unsettling nightmares — it’s easy to see how one would confuse it with witchcraft. Although there’s room for more gore, a film about Jesus showing this amount of blood and violence leaves a mark far beyond its runtime. Stunningly captured by Simon Beaufils, he creates a world that instantly transports us into their world; it’s dark, bleak, but oddly uplifting. Paired with the grimy aesthetic, with characters covered in a mixture of dirt and blood, The Carpenter’s Son is atmospherically divine. While The Carpenter’s Son could use more of a feminine presence, it shows how dynamic Jupe is and gives audiences a fresh new perspective on Jesus. Visually blessed and blood-soaked, Nathan’s newest film will be sure to spark conversation from those devout and those not.
