In one of the most powerful narratives you will experience this year, Beth de Araújo’s poignant film Josephine will leave you breathless. It is not only the story that is remarkable in and of itself, but it is the performance of its protagonist, the titular character Josephine, played by Mason Reeves that makes this film so compelling to watch.
Josephine is the tragic story about an 8-year-old girl who one day on an outing with her father Damien (Channing Tatum) witnesses what no one should ever have to see. Without the presence of her father at the time, Josephine wandered off and saw a woman being violently sexually assaulted by a man. At the tail-end of the attack, her father manages to stop and intervene (which is sadly too late at that point) and the assailant runs away. The damage has been done on both sides. The sexual victim has been raped and Josphine has witnessed one of the most brutal violent experiences that can happen to a woman.
Eventually the man is caught, and when his victim refuses to participate in testifying against him, forcing Josephine to be a witness in this crime, the story takes on a trajectory that infuses more trauma into Josephine’s psyche and the conflicting approaches of how her parents are dealing with this incident. Josephine’s mother Claire, played by Gemma Chan, has a different perspective on how to handle her daughter’s trauma. She believes Josephine is too young to be exposed to this case and should withdraw from it altogether. Meanwhile, Damien insists his daughter should tip the scales of justice and speak on the victim’s behalf as the only witness to this heinous attack.
As the days pass since the moment Josephine experienced this trauma, what she witnessed takes a toll on her mental health. She begins to act out in school. She starts fights. She becomes defiant towards her parents. She also becomes more inquisitive about sex and what intimacy between men and women mean.
We, the audience, watch as Josephine processes her anger, sadness, trauma, and fear in real time. Every emotion rises to the surface, often before she has the words to fully express what she is experiencing. Mason Reeves’ impeccable performance captures that emotional complexity with remarkable honesty, allowing Josephine’s pain to feel raw, immediate, and deeply human. It is a testament to how impactful a performance can be when an actor fully embraces a character’s vulnerability without softening the difficult emotions that shape her journey.
I found myself fully engaged in Mason Reeves’ performance from beginning to end. She is ultimately the emotional anchor of the film, carrying the weight of Josephine’s experience with a vulnerability and intensity that never feel forced. Even in the film’s quietest moments, Reeves communicates the confusion, fear, and anger consuming her character, drawing the audience deeper into Josephine’s perspective.
Inspired by a traumatic event from filmmaker Beth de Araújo’s own childhood, Josephine transforms a deeply personal memory into a gripping and emotionally resonant story. The film explores how a single experience can disrupt a child’s understanding of safety and reshape the way she sees the world around her. Captivating, unsettling, and profoundly human, Josephine is the kind of film that stays with you and sparks difficult but necessary conversations long after the credits roll.
