How does a child deal with and overcome a formative traumatic experience?
Josephine handles this question sensibly and makes for a rewarding viewing experience without ever delving into trauma porn or male revenge fantasy territory. Devastating and stressful for sure, but ultimately hopeful and nowhere as bleak as last year's If I had Legs I Would Kick You. Some thoughts:
I liked how it stepped back from popular discourse on therapy as fix-all solution. Instead, what therapy could have helped with is to guide the parents in how to better navigate Josephine's complex emotions, as in their own ways, both parents reacted to the best of their abilities, even if to negative results.
In Tatum's case, that meant a response not unexpected from someone with an upbringing that involved a violent, toxic notion of masculinity; something which directly reflected on Josephine's immediate trauma responses: physical violence and closing oneself off fully, verbal defiance, and the perception of men, even unborn, as inherently violent perpetrators. In Chan's case, it means running away from the topic altogether rather than talking about it on an equal, mature level and helping develop Josephine's sense of justice. Instead, it is careful communication and an act of agency in the form of the climactic trial that builds her resilience and finally allows her to overcome her fears.
From the first shot establishing the film as seen and experienced entirely from the perspective of the child, to the long one shot during final act's court case, Josephine is full of excellent cinematographic choices. Similarly, the sound design and score elevate emotions or create necessary breaks of tension without ever overwhelming (looking at you Hamnet, I loved Max Richter's score but I definitely attribute a lot of the emotional affect to it).
First big oscars award film of the year. Generally solid performances from Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, but Josephine's child actress really steals the show here.