Josephine
Viewer Advice: Contains themes of sexual violence
A heartbreaking portrait of innocence lost, this acclaimed Sundance award winner and surefire Oscar contender is one of the most essential films of 2026.
Eight-year-old Josephine (Mason Reeves) is out running with her father in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park when she witnesses a brutal sexual assault. Her parents, Damien (Channing Tatum) and Claire (Gemma Chan), are unsure of how to help their daughter process this experience, working through their own feelings of futility, helplessness and horror. As a court case prosecuting the attacker draws closer, Josephine is haunted not only by the memory of what she saw but also by the presence of the perpetrator, who lingers in her mind – and, she imagines, in her bedroom – like a ghost.
The winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in Sundance’s U.S. Dramatic Competition, this meticulous, humanist drama finds incredible power in its child’s-eye view. Beth de Araújo follows her impressive first feature, the equally politically charged thriller Soft & Quiet, with a remarkable portrayal of an incomprehensibly cruel, violent world. Tatum gives a career-best performance as a wounded, disempowered father searching for answers, and Chan is similarly impressive; but it’s the tiny Reeves, in her debut film, who is the real revelation, carrying the complex emotions of a devastating narrative.
“[An] instant classic … [Nothing] can shake the feeling that you’re watching something brilliant, singular, and astounding.” – Rolling Stone
Writer/director Beth de Araújo is a guest of the festival and will be in attendance at all sessions of the film.
Tickets
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