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The acclaimed actor may be the ideal choice for a audacious horror film centered on the biblical figure, however not for the causes many viewers might assume. In reality, the star doesn't actually portray Jesus in The Carpenter’s Son: his role is referred to merely as a craftsman. Cage is positioned as a father figure in this narrative, working to keep his faith as the teenage character (played by Noah Jupe), their adolescent adopted son, commences to display miraculous gifts. Why it’s difficult to envision a different leading star taking this character is that while the figure becomes weighed down with various challenges, Cage himself appears nearly emotionally convinced that the murky, grim small film is worth his time.

Cage's Recent Film Selections

Cage has using those years more judiciously lately. He continues to stars in more movies than the majority of casual fans could possibly view — as an illustration, are you aware that the actor has made a trio of separate frontier films recently? — yet he also adds prestige independent films such as one recent hit, Pig, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son appears to be a similar project, because it’s genre-adjacent, potentially provocative, and handles a campy-sounding concept in a earnest manner.

The Film's Premise and Handling

Regrettably, filmmaker Lotfy Nathan does not justify that serious attention. The film starts from a interestingly wandering place, marketed as inspired by an unknown scripture about the youthful days of the messiah. Cage's character, The Mother, and their child relocate constantly, fearful of doctrinal intolerance or suspicion over their son's strange powers. “Trouble pursues us,” The Carpenter sadly observes. That continues as sinister entities target the family in their latest settlement, getting a jump-start on that familiar Biblical temptation for the son.

Sometimes, the film echoes an Exorcist-style horror film, except that no one of the main figures are clearly inhabited. On the contrary, they are progressively isolated from each other, while these entities affect a local young woman (Isla Johnston, credited as an outsider) that the son bonds with, and presents all disturbing images of a bleak destiny. The Carpenter notably grapples with his position in this story, occasionally chastising the boy who mystifies him.

Debate and Caution

This material is prone to stir disagreement, and Nathan treats it with a lot of sensitivity — excessive, possibly. The idea of a young man dealing with his future martyrdom and tempted by dark influences is truly scary, but Nathan could be hesitant regarding seeming gratuitous and eager to indicate his aims, thus he frequently falls back on darkly ominous filming. The roles brood incessantly — FKA Twigs, who showed real promise in the 2024 Crow remake, surprisingly — cedes her role to her religious attire, occasionally interrupted by some disturbing frightening scenes.

The Star's Portrayal and Film's Shortcomings

At the same time, Cage flirts with just the sort of overacting that those who enjoy his campier roles could be expecting. There is a moment (featured) in the trailer where he flips out and yells “I’ve lost my faith!” When this sort of florid outburst is a component of a biblical thriller, maybe a more openly absurd method would be more effective of his eagerness to be extreme when necessary. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son more closely resembles the poorer direct-to-video productions the actor filmed over the 2010s — apart from the B-movies so much as the dramas and paranormal movies that often seem intriguing, and usually have some select Cage moments, but finally come across like, frankly, cheap home video fare.

Truthfully, several of these, although simpler, were more entertaining in general. At this point I need to break my own dogma, not faith-based but professional: Long ago, an admired senior convinced me to eliminate adjectives like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my reviewing language. These words communicate minimal but a subjective and broadly stated lack of patience, withdrawing from the duty of vibrantly communicating the intellectual and sensation of seeing an individual production. It’s difficult to convey boredom without sounding boring oneself. It’s no more expressive as labeling a movie “engaging.” “Explain further,” in other words.

However, I admit, I was bored during much of the film. In its defense, it’s a devotional type of stultification, not due to The Carpenter’s Son is lecturing, but since it requires a sort of dutiful submission to view it. After a while in the beginning, the film locks into a cyclic tempo of simmering anguish, and never really