How do you explain rape to an 8-year-old child? They are still too young to fully understand sex, but they are old enough to understand consent and what “no” means. Yet, rape is still a violent act that violates the victim both physically and psychologically. It is an impossible situation that no parent would want to explain to their child. But, our world is filled with cruel people who force parents to explain these kinds of situations to minds who are still too young to understand. This impossible situation is at the heart of Beth de Araujo’s Josephine, a harrowing portrait of growing up too soon.
Eight-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) spends her Sunday mornings in the park with her father, Damien (Channing Tatum, Roofman) playing soccer. However, this morning will forever change her. After witnessing a violent sexual assault, Josephine begins to act out as she searches for a way to regain control of her safety as fear and paranoia begin to take over her. With her parents completely paralyzed over what to do, her acting out becomes more hostile and violent as the trial of the perpetrator draws near.
When it comes to the topic of sexual assault, there has to be immense level of care in execution. Many filmmakers shy away from depicting it directly so many either chose to have it happen off screen or reduce it to sound alone. In Josephine, writer and director Beth de Araujo is bold with her filmmaking as we witness the entire crime, from start to finish. Going back and forth between the crime and Josephine’s reaction, the scene combines terror and brutality with a child’s unsettling curiosity. Josephine knows that something terrible is happening to this woman, but she doesn’t fully comprehend the horrors of it. And once you realize that she is the only witness to this crime, you realize that a part of her innocence is permanently shattered.
Josephine, played by Mason Reeves who gives an incredible acting debut, is being torn in two. She is haunted by the crime as she sees the rapist everywhere she goes. She tries reaching out to her parents for help but she receives mixed messages from both of her parents who are paralyzed by this situation. Her father Damien, played by Channing Tatum who is delivering one of the best performances of his career, treats this situation as black and white. He tells Josephine that the rapist is a bad man and that if she doesn’t testify against him, he won’t go to jail and justice won’t be served. He believes the best kind of therapy is physical activity so he distracts her with soccer and signs her up for self-defense classes. And when she asks if she too can be raped, he exclaims that won’t happen to her and he will make sure that it will never happen. Just like how my own father would say.
While her mother Claire, played by the quietly brilliant Gemma Chan (Eternals), is more of a realist. She sees that her daughter’s mental health is spiraling as Josephine is struggling to comprehend the horrors that she just witnessed. She believes therapy will help Josephine and that testifying in court will only make Josephine’s mental health worse. However, Claire knows that if Josephine doesn’t testify, there is no hope of justice for the victim and this rapist will do it again, and will maybe do it to her daughter. It’s a terrible situation that no parent wants to be in and while Josephine’s parents’ hearts are in the right place as they wish to preserve her innocence. Their inability to sit down and explain what rape is, what sex is and what concent is to their daughter, they end up breaking her. Coded just like Sophocles Oedipus Rex.
At its heart, Josephine is a tragedy about the loss of innocence. Childhood is meant to be a space free from the world’s cruelty. Where that cruelty is only meant to creep into a child’s life as they grow into adulthood. But when that cruelty arrives too early, it leaves lasting damage. Josephine handles this collapse of innocence with both careful restraint and unflinching honesty, a balance that Beth de Araujo nails. Araujo could have shot this like a conventional drama, but she brings a signature directorial style that captures the fragility of childhood and the harshness of the world. The result is a haunting portrait of what it means to grow up too soon.
My Rating: A
Currently seeking US distribution.
Leave a Reply