The acclaimed actor may be the perfect pick for a bold scary movie centered on the biblical figure, however not for the reasons many fans may think. In reality, Cage doesn't even play the central religious figure in the new film: his character is listed simply as a craftsman. The actor is framed as a father figure of this story, working to uphold his beliefs as the teenage character (played by the young actor), their teenage adopted son, commences to exhibit miraculous gifts. Why it’s difficult to imagine another leading star in this role is that even as his character grows stricken with numerous difficulties, Cage himself looks almost touchingly convinced that this gloomy, somber feature is deserving of his effort.
Cage has been spending those years more carefully in recent years. He yet stars in additional projects than most regular audiences could possibly view — as an illustration, are you aware that the actor has made three separate frontier films recently? — however he also includes esteemed independent films for example one recent hit, another notable movie, and a further title. The Carpenter’s Son seems like a similar project, because it’s not strictly scary, potentially provocative, and handles a campy-sounding concept quite seriously.
Unfortunately, filmmaker Lotfy Nathan fails to repay that serious attention. The film starts from a compellingly nomadic context, positioned as drawing from an unknown scripture regarding the youthful days of the messiah. The Carpenter, the maternal figure, and the boy relocate frequently, anxious of faith-based hostility or distrust about The Boy’s mysterious gifts. “Calamity follows us,” Cage gloomily remarks. It goes on when evil influences attack the family at their new home, initiating with that familiar Biblical temptation for the son.
Occasionally, the movie echoes an Exorcist-style possession movie, except that not one of the lead characters are explicitly taken over. Instead, they become increasingly alienated from each other, while these powers affect a resident female (the actress, listed as an outsider) that The Boy bonds with, and presents all troubling visions of a bleak destiny. The Carpenter especially struggles with his role in this story, occasionally berating his child he doesn't completely grasp.
The content is apt to invite debate, and Nathan treats it with much sensitivity — excessive, maybe. The idea of a young man dealing with his destined offering and tempted by mysterious forces is indeed scary, but the filmmaker may be hesitant regarding seeming gratuitous and anxious to telegraph his aims, therefore he regularly falls back on gloomily threatening cinematography. The figures constantly ponder — FKA Twigs, who demonstrated genuine potential in a recent film update, surprisingly — yields her performance to her religious attire, sometimes broken up by a few disturbing frightening scenes.
Simultaneously, Cage toy with precisely the type of exaggerated performance that his more snickering appreciators might be looking for. An instance (shown) in promotional material where Cage flips out and yells “My belief is broken!” When this sort of florid outburst is included in a Jesus-themed horror movie, maybe a more openly absurd approach would make better use of Cage’s willingness to be extreme when necessary. Rather, The Carpenter’s Son is closer to the poorer straight-to-DVD productions Cage made over that period — not the cheesy thrillers instead the serious stories and paranormal movies that always sound promising, and frequently include some select actor's highlights, but in the end seem like, frankly, inexpensive direct-to-consumer content.
Truthfully, a number of those, while less ambitious, were more entertaining overall. At this point I have to violate my usual practice, not spiritual but work-oriented: Previously, an admired senior convinced me to eliminate words like “monotonous” or “lifeless” from my analytical lexicon. These words convey little but a personal and vaguely expressed impatience, disengaging from the duty of vividly conveying the thoughtful and emotional experience of viewing a particular movie. It's hard to express monotony without sounding boring personally. It's equally vague as labeling a movie “engaging.” “Explain further,” in other words.
However, I admit, I was bored throughout the film. On the positive side, it’s a religious style of boredom, not for this movie is moralizing, but as it takes a sort of patient acceptance to view it. After a while early on, the film locks into a repetitive rhythm of simmering distress, and never really
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