Sam Rockwell’s intense psychological thriller starring Vera Farmiga feels like a modern Hitchcock film

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Sam Rockwell’s intense psychological thriller starring Vera Farmiga feels like a modern Hitchcock film

There are still many filmmakers still inspired by the works of Alfred Hitchcockfrom the way he created suspense to the way he thrust ordinary people into extraordinary situations. In 2007, Director George Ratliff took the psychological thrills of a Hitchcockian atmosphere and brought them to a modern urban domestic setting.where nothing is as it seems. Joshua paints the familiar picture of an ordinary nuclear family living in an American city, but As an insidious development slowly begins to infect the home, we are forced to rethink everything we know about family dynamics. It’s a true Hitchcockian film where you can identify with at least one of the family members and wonder how you would react in this increasingly intense situation.

“Joshua” takes an ordinary family and turns it into a domestic nightmare

Image via 20th Century Fox

The psychological thriller introduces us to a seemingly average nuclear family, of which Abby (Vera Farmiga), Brad (Sam Rockwell), and the titular nine-year-old boy (Jacob Kogan). At the beginning of Joshua, the family welcomes a baby girl, and while they are all overjoyed, small cracks begin to appear in their dynamic. Abby suffers from postpartum depression, while Joshua gradually begins to become jealous of the attention taken from him, while displaying a disturbing preoccupation with ancient Egyptian mortality practices. Meanwhile, Brad is at his wits’ end to keep his family together financially and emotionally.

True to Hitchcock’s style, the family dynamic in this traditional house, even though it’s set in a city apartment rather than a cookie-cutter suburban home, is entirely ordinary and relatable. We have seemingly loving parent-child and marital relationships, a somewhat maddening bond with Abby’s religious stepmother (Celia Weston), and a funny uncle (Dallas Roberts) who enters and exits their lives. But like danger in the form of a potentially sociopathic child begins to take root, the cracks in their relationships are exposed and become increasingly strained, kicking off the rippling suspense and anticipation that Hitchcock would applaud.

“Joshua” creates a relentless, frightening Hitchcockian atmosphere

One of the key elements of Hitchcock’s style was to build suspense and dread over time. This kept the audience hooked and firmly engaged as the situation became more and more unbelievable. Joshua does exactly that. The premise is familiar until it isn’t, but at that point we’re already immersed in the psychological intensity and tense family dynamics of it all. There is a constant, linear increase in tension throughout the film, where We recognize Joshua’s sinister nature almost immediately, but we can’t look away because we wonder how far he is willing to go. The home environment gradually becomes a pressure cooker of paranoia, frustration and fear, because even we cannot really prove that it is the root of all evil in this house.

There is suspense in constantly questioning every twist and turn of this film. We wait for a turning point or just a minor twist that will detract from the inevitable conclusion we see looming in the distance. That being said, Joshua pulls the rug out from under you in its final act, like any true Hitchcockian thriller, but certainly not in the way you might expect.. Setting the story in an urban setting rather than Hitchcock’s usual small rural towns creates a feeling of anonymity, engulfed in a faceless crowd. It makes the whole ordeal more isolating, even though we’re in a crowded apartment and not the isolated Bates Motel. It’s as if the walls are closing in on the family, suffocating them with fear inside the apartment while appearing frustratingly ordinary on the outside, until certain aspects slowly slip away.

By constructing this Hitchcockian atmosphere, Ratliff is able to dissect the nuclear family and present these dynamics in a way that we rarely think about, or simply avoid.. The ideas of a genius child who turns out to be a sociopath, a mother suffering from postpartum depression who also takes medication for previous conditions, and a father who doesn’t know how to connect with his family all seemed like taboo subjects in 2007, before the so-called “high horror” trend took them mainstream. It plays on the concept of never knowing what’s going on behind closed doors, but makes the consequences of hiding it deadly and psychologically horrific.

Farmiga and Rockwell’s performances intensify this psychological thriller

Kogan’s chilling performance as young prodigy and would-be sociopath Joshua may be the focus of this film, but it’s Farmiga and Rockwell’s performances that really enhance the Hitchcock feel. Farmiga is a far cry from her most popular role as Lorraine Warren in Conjuring Universe. Before being a calm and wise paranormal investigator, Farmiga delivered a desperate and increasingly devastating performance Joshua which punctuates the fear in the atmosphere. While you’re watching the film, if you ever need to be reminded of what level of psychological distress the film is at, just take a quick glance at Farmiga’s expression and you’ll feel it deep within yourself. She fits perfectly into the initial role of a mother suffering from postpartum depression, a role that many mothers can relate to. Then she slowly builds on the horrible paranoia and anticipation of wandering the hallways of the apartment, never knowing what Joshua will do next.

If Farmiga’s psychological descent measures the atmosphere’s linear spiral toward terror, then Rockwell’s performance next to her is the frustrating point of contrast that almost makes the paranoia worse.. He takes a more rational, fatherly role that remains caring, but causes Abby and us to question everything that happens (like almost all horror movie husbands, except Ed Warren). Is Joshua really that bad or just misunderstood? Is it really Abby’s mental state that’s causing all this? Is the situation really salvageable? Together, Farmiga and Rockwell’s chemistry makes for a happily married, supportive couple, but the small instabilities in their relationship reveal themselves and the actors amplify them into insurmountable rifts. Both of their performances contribute to the atmosphere of suspense, as the marriage gradually breaks down, and one wonders if they can overcome it.

The least Hitchcockian element of this film is the ending, and that’s probably for the best. After having led you into a psychological descent which very much resembles a tribute to the filmmaker, Joshua makes a bold move in his final act that leaves your skin crawling. Anyone yearning for another taste of Hitchcock’s iconic style should turn to this film, a film that will keep you in suspense until the credits roll.