Josephine is an absolutely daunting, terrifying, and unbelievable achievement in storytelling as writer/director Beth de Araújo explores the heavy-set consequences of trauma, parenting, and the dark realities of life that unfairly occur. A film such as Josephine isn’t one you come away from “enjoying” per se, but it will undoubtedly be one of the year’s best. De Araújo sets in motion a near two-hour descent that becomes darker and more haunting with each minute that passes. With her incredible direction and writing, she allows her amazing cast to be hoisted onto a performance pedestal, creating some career highlights for everyone involved.

Beginning their daily routine, Josephine (Mason Reeves) and Damien (Channing Tatum) set out for their morning run, eventually ending up at the local park. From here, the two of them get separated, leading Josephine down a path where she watches a woman being followed into a public bathroom. Screams and struggling can be heard until she is violently brought out as the woman and her rapist fight. Eventually, he knocks her unconscious, and Josephine watches from behind a nearby tree. This is the pivotal moment in the film, not even ten minutes in, which subjects the viewer early on to how the rest is going to play out. There is nothing held back, and that’s because there shouldn’t be for a subject like this. We as adults understand the situation; however, for an eight-year-old, it is unimaginable. De Araújo makes this moment Josephine experiences so immersive for the audience, placing us inside the mind of an eight-year-old child, confused and grappling with trauma that she will remember for the rest of her life.

The film never fails to present the way a child like this would go about navigating her situation, as an eight-year-old struggles to grasp what she has witnessed. She uses her mom’s phone to learn about rape and, throughout the film, begins to understand the gravity of the brutality. Mason Reeves is an unbelievable actor in this role, and one I hope gets the recognition it deserves as she goes toe to toe with Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan. Very early on, it is set in place just how confused Josephine feels, and the mounting fear and violent nature that stems from that confusion. The behavior she develops, and her fear toward males, especially, feels consistently unpredictable as you fear for her and everyone around her. Certain parts of this film delve so deeply into the worst parts of Josephine’s trauma—days, weeks, and eventually months later—that the film becomes a dark horror experience, very specifically one scene in particular that makes you, as the viewer, want to take a minute to gather yourself. It is such a heavy film to watch from beginning to end, and it never lets you breathe for a single instance. Very few films I have seen in my lifetime have evoked so many different feelings by the end, which Beth de Araújo somehow manages to do. Throughout, I feel immense sadness for this eight-year-old girl and wish to help her, yet near the third act, I am genuinely scared of her and what she may end up doing. By the end, you feel gutted as she is forced to live with something so substantial for the rest of her life—something so massive during such a formative phase of growing up, making it all the worse.

On top of Mason Reeves’ incredible performance, Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan play Josephine’s parents, Damien and Claire. They are very imperfect young parents, and ones you want to shout at occasionally for the many decisions they make or words they say to their daughter. Damien and Claire are very different in their approaches to how they believe Josephine should be raised and taught regarding this incident, yet they always feel realistic in the poor decisions they make. To me, there are many things they do wrong, but there are many parents I’ve been around who I think are just as naive, so I can’t necessarily say this portrayal is anything too far-fetched. As parents, how do you even handle a situation like this with your eight-year-old daughter? How do you explain it for her to understand, and more importantly, how do you, as a parent, process this in real time to be the best you can for her? I think that is what we witness throughout the story here. As imperfect as Damien and Claire are, they are trying to be everything they can for their daughter, even when they make mistakes doing so. How do you protect your daughter from something that has so deeply traumatized her while also bearing the burden of relying solely on her to convict the rapist she witnessed at trial? Damien and Claire’s relationship is heavily tested throughout this entire process, adding to Josephine’s stress and deteriorating mental health. Tatum really pushes all the boundaries we have come to see from him in recent years, as the films he has chosen have allowed him to showcase his incredible range. Gemma Chan likewise feels perfectly cast, as if the role was written with her in mind. She offers a sense of softness and juxtaposition in contrast to Damien and later Josephine, allowing for another perspective on how she believes they should deal with what has happened.

Occasionally utilized in key moments throughout the film, Beth de Araújo and cinematographer Greta Zozula opt for a first-person perspective from Josephine, which I found worked extremely well in a handful of carefully tailored moments. This choice places the audience directly in her eyes during moments crucial to her development, especially during situations that would be overwhelming for someone her age. I think this film is quite beautiful in all that it captures and in the deliberate placement of the camera. At times, the cinematography favors simpler compositions before transitioning into intense, close-up handheld shots that add weight to both the writing and the performances.

Josephine is one of the harder films to witness, as it does not shy away from any of the material it tackles. It is uncomfortable, daunting, and tragic from beginning to end. With all of that, it is—and will be—one of the best films to come out of 2026. Beth de Araújo has crafted something incredibly precise, with everyone involved firing on all cylinders and reminding the viewer of what it means to be human. Josephine is certainly a film that will stick with you long after seeing it, and not in the way you might hope a film does. Instead, it reminds you that the world we live in is deeply imperfect and ultimately unfair.