The Carpenter's Son (2025) Review

When making a film about Jesus, someone somewhere is going to be offended. It comes with the territory. Mel Gibson’s ‘The Passion of the Christ’ ignited controversy for its graphic brutality and interpretation of the Passion narrative, while Martin Scorsese’s ‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ provoked outrage simply for imagining Jesus’ inner doubts and desires. Even just the idea of the Marxist, atheist (not to mention openly homosexual) Pier Paolo Pasolini directing a film about Jesus was enough to cause outrage when he helmed ‘The Gospel According to St Matthew’.

The crucial difference between those three films and Lotfy Nathan’s ‘The Carpenter’s Son’ is that, whatever one thinks of their theology, they were competently made. Somewhat oddly billed as a horror, Nathan’s film isn’t so much offensive to Christians as it is to people who like quality movies. It is unsubtle and self-serious, mired in a murky, affectless gloom. Based on ‘The Infancy Gospel of Thomas’, an apocryphal gospel about the childhood life of Jesus, it follows a young Christ, whose emerging powers lead him to question who- and what- he really is.

In better hands, it’s an idea that could have worked. However, Nathan is not a particularly talented director, nor is he much of a writer. His dialogue is abysmal and stilted, and he doesn’t have a sense of pace. The narrative is dour and protracted, mistaking brooding silence for depth. The plot is also lacking- very little happens, and it takes an age to happen. By the time the third act begins, one is left exhausted and unmoved.

It’s easy to see why some Christians might take issue with the film, as Jesus is depicted as a petulant, angry, occasionally violent young man. However, this humanisation of the character is probably its most interesting conceit. In fact, the film is full of potentially compelling ideas- Christ wrestling with anger, the villagers suspecting him of sorcery, the carpenter’s doubts about his wife, the notion that divine power might feel more like a curse than a blessing. Any of these could have been fascinating if the script were stronger and the execution less heavy-handed.

Technically, Jean-Vincent Puzos’ production design and Simon Beaufils’ cinematography are quite commendable and atmospheric, containing some striking imagery- blood-red skies over mountains, cold, filthy landscapes, insects, snakes and demonic creatures gyrating maniacally. Costume design and make-up- especially of the boil-riddled villagers- are also of note. However, none of these visual aspects are particularly subtle. That’s also a problem with the sound design and Lorenz Dangel’s score, which are oppressive and overblown. Sophie Corra, Guillaume Fusil and Monika Willi’s editing is also something of an issue, the film dragging almost immediately upon beginning.

As the titular carpenter, Nicolas Cage delivers a reasonably measured performance, neither phoning it in or going too over-the-top, the way he often does. He’s actually less miscast than you might expect (although hearing him speak Biblicalesque lines is always good for a laugh). However, the script consistently lets him down. Conversely, as Christ’s mother, FKA Twigs is as wooden as her name suggests. She looks completely out of place, acting as if she stumbled onto set by accident.

As young Jesus himself, Noah Jupe does nothing to write home about. He doesn’t have a particularly compelling presence on screen, is rather stiff and emotionless, lacking the nuance and complexity needed to elevate Nathan’s scant characterisation. Isla Johnston does the strongest work of all as a personification of temptation and evil; anytime she’s on screen the film takes a step towards being a hell of a lot better than it is. Unfortunately, the majority of their supporting cast are like Twigs: out of place and awkward.

Is Lotfy Nathan’s ‘The Carpenter’s Son’ an ungodly abomination? Not really. The cinematography is frequently striking, it contains some interesting ideas and a few of the performances are commendable. However, neither is it a success. Nathan’s narrative is obvious and his dialogue is stilted, while the sound design and score are irritatingly overdone. In the end, ‘The Carpenter’s Son’ isn’t a film that needs divine intervention- just a better craftsman at the helm.