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Movie Reviews -
Drama and Suspense
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Written by Sam Minardi
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Friday, July 03, 2009 01:22 PM |
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 Joshua, starring Sam Rockwell as Brad Cairn and Jacob Cogan as Joshua Cairn, is a story of a nine-year old boy coping with the birth of his new baby sister, Lily. Joshua torments his parents, the newborn and any living species he happens to encounter. He’s a deceitful little shit and rivals Macaulay Culkin’s character in “The Good Son” (1993) for the most sadistic kid in recent memory.
The film is set in Manhattan and Joshua is the oldest child of Brad and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga). Brad is a successful stockbroker and the family enjoys an affluent lifestyle. The plot turns quickly when Abby gives birth to her second child, a daughter named Lily, and Jacob becomes more sinister by day. Joshua is a gifted child that uses his intelligence to manipulate others and send his family down a rapid path of destruction.  Already a little crazy – Joshua drives his mother all the way to the nut-house through his manipulative and deceitful behavior. The newborn is a pawn in this little prick’s game of torture. As the infant cries nearly around the clock, stay-at-home mom Abby begins to rapidly unravel emotionally. Watching the film keeps you on the edge of your seat as you await Joshua to take his torture of the newborn to the next level. Thankfully, for anyone with kids at least, he doesn’t do what you fully expect him to do. Exhausted, suffering from postpartum depression and a history of psychological problems push Abby to a nervous breakdown leaving Brad to care for his children. With help from his mother (Celia Watson), Brad takes a leave of absence from his job to care for Joshua and Lily. Before long, Brad catches on to Joshua’s game but not before his mother is killed by Joshua from an apparent fall. The film’s climax is when Joshua deceives others to believe he is a victim of abuse at the hands of his father. Brad is arrested after throwing a public beat down on Joshua after being pushed to the brink by his once perfect son’s behavior. In all, the film keeps you on the edge of your seat with anticipation but the ending leaves much to be desired. Some people like a head scratching ending but, sorry, I need closure! And this film leaves too many unanswered questions. What happens to Brad? Does he get convicted? Does Abby ever regain some sense of sanity? What happens to Joshua and Lily? None of these questions are answered and despite a great deal of suspense I felt a little cheated after two hours. But for anyone that’s ever had kids, you’ll likely find this film disturbing and at times downright chilling. Sam Minardi is a writer based in Charleston, W.Va.
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