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Josephine

  • 20162016
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
51
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Josephine (2016)
  • Drama
  • History
Inspired by letters he reads when he buys a 150-year old farmhouse, writer/director Rory Feek pens a story about the wife of a civil war soldier who enlists in the army and fights her way ac... Read allInspired by letters he reads when he buys a 150-year old farmhouse, writer/director Rory Feek pens a story about the wife of a civil war soldier who enlists in the army and fights her way across the country to find her missing husband. As Rory is taken on Josephine's incredible j... Read allInspired by letters he reads when he buys a 150-year old farmhouse, writer/director Rory Feek pens a story about the wife of a civil war soldier who enlists in the army and fights her way across the country to find her missing husband. As Rory is taken on Josephine's incredible journey, he personally dreams of having a love like hers. In the end, he gets that and so m... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
51
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Rory Feek
  • Writers
    • Aaron Carnahan
    • Rory Feek
  • Stars
    • Boris McGiver
    • Alex Breaux
    • Danny Vinson
Top credits
  • Director
    • Rory Feek
  • Writers
    • Aaron Carnahan
    • Rory Feek
  • Stars
    • Boris McGiver
    • Alex Breaux
    • Danny Vinson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos24

    Danny Vinson in Josephine (2016)
    Danny Vinson in Josephine (2016)
    Josephine (2016)
    Matthew Brady in Josephine (2016)
    Matthew Alan Brady, Boris McGiver, Linds Edwards, Joseph Carlson and Drew Matthews in Finding Josephine
    Boris McGiver in Josephine (2016)
    Matthew Alan Brady in Finding Josephine
    Matthew Alan Brady in Finding Josephine
    Matthew Alan Brady, Alice Coulthard, Mitch Eakins, Jessejames Locorriere, Boris McGiver, Linds Edwards, Joseph Carlson, Drew Matthews and Nathan Hoffmann in Finding Josephine
    Matthew Alan Brady in Finding Josephine
    Matthew Alan Brady in Finding Josephine
    Matthew Alan Brady in Finding Josephine

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris McGiver
    Boris McGiver
    • Tally Simpsonas Tally Simpson
    Alex Breaux
    • Lambdon Purdyas Lambdon Purdy
    Danny Vinson
    Danny Vinson
    • Old Soldieras Old Soldier
    Alice Coulthard
    Alice Coulthard
    • Josephine Robisonas Josephine Robison
    Jessejames Locorriere
    Jessejames Locorriere
    • Sturgill Marksas Sturgill Marks
    Maggie Parto
    Maggie Parto
    • Nataliaas Natalia
    Mitch Eakins
    Mitch Eakins
    • John Robisonas John Robison
    Linds Edwards
    Linds Edwards
    • Jubal Hubbardas Jubal Hubbard
    Drew Matthews
    Drew Matthews
    • Lieutenant Sanford Branchas Lieutenant Sanford Branch
    Matthew Brady
    Matthew Brady
    • Whitas Whit
    • (as Matthew Alan Brady)
    Dakota James Alden Lane
    • Confederate soldieras Confederate soldier
    Austin Buchanan
    Austin Buchanan
    • Confederate Soldieras Confederate Soldier
    Coby Batty
    Coby Batty
    • Confederate Artillery Captainas Confederate Artillery Captain
    Alexander Vaughn Miller
    Alexander Vaughn Miller
    • Confederate Soldieras Confederate Soldier
    • (as Alex Miller)
    Jason Charles Hill
    Jason Charles Hill
    • Union Soldieras Union Soldier
    Aaron Carnahan
    Aaron Carnahan
    • Capt. Elleras Capt. Eller
    Joseph Carlson
    • Harp Weaveras Harp Weaver
    Indiana Feek
    • Indyas Indy
    • Director
      • Rory Feek
    • Writers
      • Aaron Carnahan
      • Rory Feek
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Large parts of the movie sere filmed at the historic Berry Hill mansion, in Halifax County Virginia.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    'A' for Effort, 'D' for History
    Written and directed by country musician Rory Feek (cowritten by Aaron Carnahan), Finding Josephine (2019) purportedly follows the true story of Josephine Robison, who disguised herself as a man and enlisted in the Confederate Army to find her husband. In many ways it's a typical love story, but the film tackles issues of gender and sexuality during the war, topics usually avoided in this genre.

    Finding Josephine is framed by the director's personal story about how love letters he allegedly found in a farmhouse in Tennessee led him to write a song that sparked the love between him and his future wife, who tragically died of cancer. The film was originally supposed to be released in 2016, but the death of his wife postponed it. Feek inter-spliced their personal story with the film, topping it out at 81 minutes.

    The year is 1864. Josephine Robison (Alice Coulthard) works on her family farm, while her husband John (Mitch Eakins) is off fighting in the 3rd Tennessee Regiment. Unable to bear her loneliness, she disguises herself as a man and enlists in the Confederate Army, where she hopes to find him. Her journey takes her all the way from the back roads of Tennessee to the trenches around Richmond, Virginia.

    Along the way, Josephine falls in with a small group of soldiers, including a gruff old man named Tally Simpson (Boris McGiver), a sadistic sergeant named Sturgill Marks (Jessejames Locorriere), and a boy named Whit (Matthew Alan Brady). Every moment threatens to expose her secret. Can she survive the war-and her fellow soldiers-to be reunited with her lost love?

    I give Finding Josephine an 'A' for effort, but a 'D' for history. I liked how the film tackled issues of gender and sexuality. You typically do not see that in Civil War films. Things like camp life, prostitutes, and homosexuality are usually overshadowed by larger-than-life personalities and dramatic battles. BUT...

    While there were examples of women who disguised themselves as men to enlist in Civil War armies, the filmmakers obviously knew little about the war or how it was fought. A small group of infantry wouldn't just wander around aimlessly, seemingly detached from any larger unit. I understand the filmmakers didn't have the budget for large units of soldiers, but they could've made them cavalry scouts, or at least provided some explanation for their unusual circumstance.

    Likewise for the Union soldier they encounter in the woods. What was he doing out there by himself? And why wouldn't he just surrender when he saw he was outnumbered six-to-one? I found myself being taken out of the narrative again and again because of these silly and improbable situations.

    Historically, John Wesley Robison fought in a Confederate artillery unit called Sparkman's Company, Tennessee Light Artillery (Maury Artillery), not the '3rd Tennessee'. John was captured when Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered in July 1863 and walked home. Neither John's artillery unit nor the real 3rd Regiment, Tennessee Infantry ever fought in Virginia.

    According to a blog post written during the filming of Feek's music video, the original letters on which Rory Feek based his song "Josephine" were transcribed in the 1960s by historian Jill Garrett and written about in the year 2000 by Colleen Farrell for the Maury County Historical Society. I couldn't find any evidence Josephine dressed as a man and joined the Confederate Army to find her husband.

    Finding Josephine had a lot of potential. There were hundreds of women who dressed like men and joined combat units during the American Civil War. That's a cool story! Unfortunately, the filmmaker chose to ruin it by inserting himself into the story, raising unnecessary questions about the film's origins and authenticity. A completely fictional film with a similar premise would've been much better. Not every period film has to be "inspired by true events."
    helpful•5
    0
    • makleen2
    • May 12, 2019

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 14, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Finding Josephine Website
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Finding Josephine
    • Production companies
      • Arvold
      • Hickory Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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