NEW YORK (OSV News) – It’s hard to imagine the pitch session at which the premise of the would-be psychological thriller “The Carpenter’s Son” (Magnolia) was presented for approval. “Drawing on a 2nd-century apocryphal text,” the summary might have run, “why don’t we turn Jesus’ teenage years into the basis for a horror film?”
Working from this grievously misguided idea, writer-director Lotfy Nathan and producer Nicolas Cage, who also stars, serve up a dismal, dramatically overheated and theologically inane picture that, at moments, lapses into blasphemy.
Cage plays St. Joseph. Still in exile in a remote village in Egypt, he, Mary (FKA twigs) and the young Savior himself (Noah Jupe) spend the movie’s entire running time trying — and largely failing — to cope with the outbreak of demonic activity Jesus’ sacred presence has provoked there. Leading the forces of darkness is a bizarre lass (Isla Johnston) who turns out to be Satan.
Practically everyone on screen is either possessed or tormented by nightmares. Tortured by his twisted version of piety, rigidly legalistic Joseph raves at his own inadequacies and what he perceives to be Jesus’ shortcomings. Mary, by contrast, is quietly confident that all will be well.
As for the adolescent Messiah, miracles aside, he not only shows no signs of divinity, he displays no discernable virtues. In fact, in one particularly distasteful scene, the lad engages in a little fortuitous voyeurism by ogling a neighbor girl who has decided to take a bath in the open air. Later, he uses his powers to strike dead a villager who endangers him.
Somewhere in the background of these perverse proceedings lurks the spurious Infancy Gospel of Thomas. This pseudo-scripture was condemned as fraudulent by an array of the Fathers of the Church, including Pope St. Gelasius I. Its narrative also includes incidents that would strike any sensible reader as ridiculous.
Garbage in, garbage out, as the techies say.
The film contains a sacrilegious portrayal of Jesus, numerous gruesome images, torture, rear and partial upper female nudity and a scene of painful childbirth. The OSV News classification is O – morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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