Review of Joshua (2002) by Melissa K — 26 Jan 2008

Well, I'm never having children.

That being said- disciplined psychological thriller, built in an interesting snapshot fashion- very subtle, not so much jump scares as moments of the EXTREMELY unexpected, lines that make you understand the ragged edge of sanity these characters are all, at times, occupying. Certain reveals- Joshua's little home movie, the three gerbils in class, the EASILY overlookable shot of the mummified guinea pig in the final montage- all top notch, nothing spelled out, nothing known for sure. We never actually SEE Joshua do anything- but we know. That's the brilliant thing about the film. Same as Sam Rockwell's superbly acted Brad- he never really sees.

I found myself wondering what would attract Rockwell to this project- up until what we call the "crisis", the moment where all seems lost. When Brad figures out what his son is doing, although he can't prove it- game on, motherfucker. That's where the movie goes from unsettling to really fucking interesting, when cupboards start getting padlocked and the baby is never left alone. When Rockwell's Wall Street Douchebag Dad goes from racketball playing, iPod listening bumbler to crumbling sentinel you understand why he came on board. It's a brilliant performance, nothing less than you'd expect from a man who climbs higher in my estimation with every role.

I don't want to say anything about the climax. But it made the movie for me. It brought the pieces together into a cogent story. Only seeing the ending made me fully comprehend the beginning.