After a hundred years’ worth of depictions of Jesus Christ in film, the ones that highlight a young man contending with his human and divine selves stand out among the rest. It’s a type of story that is not without its controversy. As you can imagine, a Jesus who was more conflicted and defiant in his youth may be a hard pill to swallow for a lot of devout believers. This is a reason why the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, the 2nd-century Christian text from which The Carpenter’s Son—directed by Lotfy Nathan (Harka)—is adapted and one that portrays Jesus differently from the canonical gospels, was considered by early church leaders to be inauthentic and heretical.
This Jesus, played by Noah Jupe (A Quiet Place Part II), is filled with curiosity, terror, and reluctant obedience to both his carpenter and heavenly fathers. Throughout the film, young Jesus is plagued with intense dreams, or perhaps visions, of his crucifixion and resurrection; he is a young man coming to terms with his divine nature. In the scene with the leper, Jesus is tempted by a pale, androgynous figure to touch the man who has been deemed unclean. The figure pushes Jesus into the man and is immediately declared to be as dirty as him. Later that night, like a nightmare, the leper visits Jesus and confronts him. The man has been healed of his affliction. Jesus pushes the man out of his home, and he is left to contend with his divine nature … alone and afraid.
Nicolas Cage (Dream Scenario) by no means gives a subpar performance in The Carpenter’s Son, but his mere presence is the film’s weakest attribute. Noah Jupe and FKA twigs (Honey Boy) are the perfect soft foils to Cage’s increasingly erratic carpenter. No amount of Cage’s carpenter toiling with his son’s divine powers and the ability to protect the same boy from those who view the boy’s powers as an omen can rid us of the fact that Nicolas Cage as a 1st-century Jewish carpenter is simply not believable in the slightest.
When the trailer for The Carpenter’s Son was first released online, many Christians expressed dissatisfaction with their savior being the central figure in a horror film. They believed that it could only lead to a grotesque representation of a being who is so central to their faith. As a Catholic who believes that his faith is a living and breathing thing, I ask my fellow Christians not to avert their eyes so quickly from something like The Carpenter’s Son. Media literacy has been on a steep decline in the past 10 years, and avoiding a challenging piece of art because the online masses tell you it is profane does little for your faith life in the long run.
Patrick Howard
Patrick Howard has been a cinephile since age seven. Alongside 10 years of experience in film analysis and criticism, he is a staunch supporter of all art forms and believes their influence and legacy over human culture is vital. Mr. Howard takes the time to write his own narrative stories when he can.