The Cairn’s, Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby (Vera Farmiga), are a wealthy New York couple with a 9 year old son, Joshua (Jacob Kogan). When Abby gives birth to a new baby, a girl, things change. For the worse. The eccentricities about Joshua start to meld into something far more frightening and it is soon clear that the family is disintegrating. Joshua’s hidden evil qualities begin to emerge and affect everyone.

CRITIQUE

What is it about children being sinister that is so scary? The contrast, I suppose, between their exterior and interior selves is what provokes all the fear. This has been used to extremely successful effect in more than one horror classic. Joshua isn’t a horror classic but it is a frightening psychological thriller, with good performances and direction.

A first glance at this film might elicit comparisons to The Omen but that leads me to the first thing people should know about this film. It belongs to the psychological suspense, not the horror genre. There is only a minimum of religious reference here, for example, and the film never shows Joshua physically hurt anyone.

Moreover, George Ratliff’s directing style is more cerebral than the typical horror film, or most films that are of this type of thriller really. A spare piano on the score, which is played onscreen by Joshua, becomes more and more eerie as the film progresses until a stunning musical finish to the film (which I won’t spoil) and an excellent use of freeze frame. This last touch does seem to hark back to the ‘70s, the time when a lot of those horror classics were made, but some more modern ideas are also explored here.

Ratliff also co-wrote the script, so his addition of the topic of post-partum depression or post-partum psychosis is integrated with the direction, too. There is a nice sequence when Joshua watches a video of his mother when he was a newborn that plays into this idea, as well as more moments where Vera Farmiga’s character seems unbalanced. These don’t throw off the storyline of Joshua’s machinations, either. In fact, they just enrich the atmosphere in which Sam Rockwell’s character must try to navigate what is happening.

Speaking of Rockwell, he is uniformly excellent as Joshua’s father. He usually is a solid performer, but Brad is a particularly nice fit for him, as he carries off the slow disintegration effect very well. Farmiga is also a powerhouse performer, fully pushing the character where she needs to go. Jacob Kogan, meanwhile, has chops enough even at such a young age to make a menacing personality come across vividly. Performances, direction, and story are all effective in Joshua and create a frightening film.

THE VIDEO

Widescreen makes an independent film like this perfect for home viewing. The theatrical color and picture are preserved, so watching on the small screen feels more like the theater.

THE AUDIO

The format of Dolby 5.1 DTS is available here, along with the usual Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, and this achieves the same for the sound that the widescreen does for the picture. There is also a Spanish Dolby surround track and English and Spanish subtitles on this disc.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary: Director Ratliff and co-writer David Gilbert join for a track and it’s a good one. Two people is always nice to hear and the information here is good, too. The usual location and shooting schedule comments are here but they also talk about the actors, the characters and the story. The information about the actors using dailies on DVD to help them reconnect emotionally when scenes are shot out of sequence is interesting, while there is a funny running bit about the hairdos of the characters. Definitely listen to this.

Interviews: A large batch of interviews with Ratliff, the three lead actors, the producer, and production designer are offered here. These are all interesting and enrich the viewing of the film. I like that Ratliff comments on the “New York horror” genre that his film belongs to and the insight we get from the production designer. The producer’s comment that Joshua “manipulates everything around him” is a good comment on the story.

Deleted Scenes: These 5 scenes are great, and could have easily been included in the film. They feature a bit more of Farmiga and Rockwell’s performances and add to the story a bit. There is one extended scene here, and there is actually reason to watch it, unlike most extended scenes.

Jacob Kogan’s Audition: This is a short piece of footage at Kogan’s audition and his stillness seems to suggest he’s already forming some sort of character. This is good to watch once.

Music Video: “Fly” by Dave Matthews is the song here, and it is appropriate to the film. The video features only film clips, not any footage of the band, so people can take or leave this.

Internet Advertising Campaign: This is a set of 2 separate interviews. Director Ratliff and actor Rockwell discuss Farmiga and Kogan, as well as post-partum depression. Kogan, meanwhile, touches on how he got into character and what he thought of the actors who play his parents. These are interesting, though brief, and are a nice addition.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Frightening and thought-provoking in story and performance, Joshua is also well directed. The film is an effective thriller and deserves a larger audience than its small release probably afforded it. This disc also has great special features that viewers will enjoy, adding value to buying this film. Though not for kids, adults will want to at least rent Joshua.