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The acclaimed actor may be the ideal selection for a daring horror film focused on Jesus Christ, but not for the reasons some viewers may think. Truthfully, the star does not actually portray Jesus in the new film: the part he plays is listed simply as a craftsman. He is framed as a father figure within this narrative, attempting to keep his faith while his son (acted by Noah Jupe), his now-teenage foster child, starts to show miraculous gifts. Why it’s difficult to envision any other prominent performer playing this part is that even as his character is stricken with multiple difficulties, the actor appears nearly emotionally convinced that the murky, grim little movie is worth his time.

The Actor's Latest Projects

Nicolas Cage was allocating those years more judiciously recently. He yet does more movies than most average viewers could possibly view — for example, did you know that the actor has filmed several separate frontier films in the past three years? — but he also adds esteemed critically acclaimed roles like Dream Scenario, Pig, and Longlegs. This new film appears to be in that category, because it’s not strictly scary, possibly controversial, and takes a over-the-top concept with gravity.

The Film's Storyline and Execution

Regrettably, filmmaker Lotfy Nathan fails to repay the audience's focus. The film begins with a compellingly nomadic context, presented as inspired by an apocryphal lost gospel concerning the early years of Jesus. Cage's character, the maternal figure, and their son travel from place to place, anxious of faith-based hostility or doubt over their son's unusual abilities. “Calamity follows us,” The Carpenter gloomily remarks. This persists when sinister entities attack the household at their new home, getting a jump-start with that well-known scriptural test for the son.

At times, the film resembles an Exorcist-style supernatural thriller, though no one of the lead characters are clearly inhabited. Rather, they become increasingly alienated from one another, as these powers influence a nearby girl (Isla Johnston, listed as an outsider) who The Boy connects to, and presents all unsettling premonitions of a grim future. Cage's role especially fights with his role in this story, sometimes berating his child who mystifies him.

Debate and Caution

This material is prone to invite debate, and the director approaches it with much delicacy — overly, maybe. The concept of a teenage boy facing his future martyrdom and tempted by unknown powers is indeed terrifying, but Nathan could be wary of looking exploitative and anxious to telegraph his aims, therefore he regularly withdraws to gloomily threatening filming. Characters brood incessantly — FKA Twigs, who displayed notable talent in another movie, interestingly — cedes her performance to her religious attire, at times punctuated by a few gnarly horror imagery.

The Star's Performance 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 (shown) in promotional material where he loses control and yells “My belief is broken!” When this sort of dramatic explosion is a component of a religious scary film, possibly a more brazenly silly style would take better advantage of his eagerness to exaggerate as required. Instead, the film echoes the weaker low-budget films he starred in over the 2010s — excluding the campy action films but rather the serious stories and ghost stories that often seem intriguing, and often contain a few choice actor's highlights, but finally come across like, frankly, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.

Frankly, several of these, although simpler, were more entertaining overall. Here is where I must violate my own dogma, not faith-based but career-related: Long ago, a beloved editor persuaded me to eliminate words like “boring” or “dull” from my analytical lexicon. These words express scant but a individual and vaguely expressed restlessness, avoiding the job of vibrantly communicating the thoughtful and feeling of seeing an individual production. It's challenging to convey monotony without appearing dull yourself. It's just as unclear as labeling a movie “engaging.” “Explain further,” that is.

But I must confess, I grew weary during much of the film. On the positive side, it’s a devotional type of boredom, not for The Carpenter’s Son is moralizing, but since it requires a sort of obedient endurance to sit through it. Eventually early on, the film settles into a repetitive rhythm of simmering anguish, and never really