Joshua (2007)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

George Ratliff

Writers:

David Gilbert (written by) and
George Ratliff (written by)

Release Date:

19 September 2007 (Philippines)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The story of a perfect boy who had a perfect plan.

Plot:

The arrival of a newborn girl causes the gradual disintegration of the Cairn family; particularly for 9-year-old Joshua (Kogan), an eccentric boy whose proper upbringing and refined tastes both take a sinister turn.

Plot Keywords:

Stockbroker | Baby | Museum | Nervous Breakdown | Eccentric

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Sam Rockwell	...	Brad Cairn
Vera Farmiga	...	Abby Cairn
Celia Weston	...	Hazel Cairn
Dallas Roberts	...	Ned Davidoff
Michael McKean	...	Chester Jenkins
Jacob Kogan	...	Joshua Cairn
Nancy Giles	...	Betsy Polsheck
Linda Larkin	...	Ms. Danforth
Alex Draper	...	Stewart Slocum
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Pediatrician
Ezra Barnes	...	Fred Solomon
Jodie Markell	...	Ruth Solomon
Rufus Collins	...	Henry Abernathy
Haviland Morris	...	Monique Abernathy
Tom Bloom	...	Joe Cairn

Also Known As:

Joshua: The Devil's Child (Australia)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some disturbing behavior by a child.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | USA:R (certificate #43401) | Australia:MA (2007) | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:16 | South Africa:16LV

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

ATO Pictures

Trivia:

The note that Joshua leaves for his father reads: "Dad,/Eaten lunch already/and gone to/The Brooklyn Museum of Art/having fun with Nunu and Lily." If you arrange the first letter of each line in order, it reveals an acrostic for "Death."

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The video tape Joshua pulls from the drawer to watch is dated 2/29/1997. 1997 was not a leap year.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Joshua Cairn: [sung] I only ever really wanted to be with you.

Movie Connections:

References The Lion King (1994)

Soundtrack:

The Fly

when the apple's rotten...

completely mis-marketed as an Omen-type horror film, there's a lot more going on in this one than in most of the recent similar scary fare. first things first: there's no supernatural hoo-hah. (ah, so refreshing.) it's an unsettling, strangely plausible horror film... seemingly made especially for parents. a few plot elements bothered me, and i felt there was one misstep (involving a Dave Matthews song, btw!), but overall it was an effective chiller. Vera Farmiga as the increasingly imbalanced mother and Celia Weston as the holy-rolling but genuinely concerned mother-in-law are both excellent, and Sam Rockwell delivers another compelling and subtly idiosyncratic performance. George Ratliff, who directed the engrossing and discomfiting 2001 documentary, Hell House, shows promise as a narrative filmmaker.