IMDb reviews From IMDb
★ 3 / 10
The Carpenter’s Son is a film that makes
Ravi
The Carpenter’s Son is a film that makes a strong first impression, but ultimately stumbles where it matters most: the story. The production excels technically…
The Carpenter’s Son is a film that makes a strong first impression, but ultimately stumbles where it matters most: the story. The production excels technically — the visual adaptation is stunning, with symbolic religious imagery and dark, atmospheric cinematography that pulls the viewer into the film’s harsh desert environment. The sound design and musical score are equally impressive, adding tension and depth to every scene. From an audiovisual standpoint, the movie is exceptional.
The problem begins when the narrative takes over. The film attempts to adapt elements from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, but the result is a storyline that feels confusing, uneven, and at times incoherent. It flirts with deep themes like faith, fear, guilt, and destiny, yet fails to develop any of them in a meaningful way. More often than not, the movie seems more focused on provoking than on delivering a cohesive or compelling plot.
Nicolas Cage delivers an intense performance, as expected, but even his presence isn’t enough to stabilize a script that collapses under its own ambition. The overall feeling is that the premise had tremendous potential, but the execution ends up fragmented, leaving audiences more puzzled than thoughtful.
In short: The Carpenter’s Son is technically excellent, with outstanding visuals and sound, but its story — already described by many as confusing — weakens the final impact. It’s a film that grabs attention, but doesn’t quite earn lasting admiration.
Read full review
★ 5 / 10
Divine childhood under the weight of fear
oNerdcall
The Carpenter's Son is the kind of film that is divisive from the outset. Its very premise-revisiting the childhood of Jesus Christ through a dark and…
The Carpenter's Son is the kind of film that is divisive from the outset. Its very premise-revisiting the childhood of Jesus Christ through a dark and terrifying lens-is enough to arouse curiosity in some and resistance in others. Directed and written by Lotfy Nathan, the feature film is based on the Gospel of Thomas, an apocryphal text from the second century that presents little-known episodes from the early years of Christ's life. The result is a drama with hints of horror, shrouded in faith, fear, and guilt, which attempts to balance the sacred and the profane, but does not always strike the right tone.Ultimately, The Carpenter's Son is an ambitious but uneven film. It is courageous for revisiting a figure as emblematic as Jesus from a horror perspective, something few filmmakers would dare to do. At the same time, it is a feature film that seems to retreat whenever it is about to go further. The duality between faith and fear is present, but it is never explored with all the force it could have.There is much of value here: Noah Jupe's inspired performance, the engaging visuals, and Lotfy Nathan's effort to treat a sensitive subject with respect and inventiveness. But there is also an imbalance that prevents the film from reaching its full potential. The Carpenter's Son is a valid attempt to unite the sacred with the dark, an interesting experiment that, although it doesn't hold up until the end, leaves the impression that Nathan is a name to be followed in future projects.Ultimately, the film is about fear, faith, and paternal love. It speaks to the weight of a destiny no one asked for and the silence that accompanies the divine. Shadows in the Desert is neither the religious film nor the horror film one might expect; it is something in between, a strange and imperfect hybrid, but one that deserves to be seen for its boldness in attempting something new with such an ancient story.
Read full review
★ 5 / 10
Not True To A Gospel Most Have Deemed Heretical Anyways. But Worth A Watch.
meddlecore
The Carpenter's Son is an interesting film.After opening with a graphic depiction of the birth of Jesus, and his family's subsequent flight from the area.It…
The Carpenter's Son is an interesting film.After opening with a graphic depiction of the birth of Jesus, and his family's subsequent flight from the area.It jumps forward to Jesus at the age of 15.So it's kind of confusing that it claims to be based on the gnostic Infancy Gospel Of Thomas...which covers the supernatural education of Jesus from 5-12.Making this a sort of speculative sequel to the events depicted therein.Because, here, Jesus learns of his abilities to heal...which starts to draw attention.Both positive and negative.As he's both hailed as a healer and saviour; while simultaneously being accused of being a conjurer.Either way, it's attracted more than just rumours.Rather, also a series of dark forces.Epitomized, mainly, by a strange girl, who is fashioned as Satan (in disguise).Not only does she try to mislead Jesus down dark paths...but also gaslight him into thinking his powers are dangerous, by intervening, after the fact, in very malicious ways.Like in the Infancy Gospel, Jesus is a rebellious youth who both uses, and misuses, his powers in different contexts.Though, the manner in which he does so strays from the uncanonical text.Most notably due to the absence of his brother James.So, it's not really surprising that Christian fundamentalists aren't really a fan of the film.Especially considering the sort of friendship that Jesus strikes up with the Satan-girl.Most of the acts he undertakes in the gospel, are attributed, here, to his mother and father- played by Nicholas Cage and FKA Twigs.Not to mention the devil, herself (in the form of people she has possessed to the point that they have become zombies).Their hatred of the film is really rather misplaced, however...considering how everything eventually plays out.Because, as a religious oriented horror film- which is what this is, when it comes down to it- it's pretty effective.Albeit not true to a gospel, most have deemed heretical anyways.That being said...it's not particularly groundbreaking in any way, shape or form, either.But it's worth a watch.As it acts as a perfect example of how religious fundamentalism stifles open mindedness.5 out of 10.
Read full review
More reviews on IMDb ↗
♡ Thanks for supporting YTS Supporter badges recognize people who help keep YTS running.
30%
TOMATOMETER
· 64 reviews
37%
AUDIENCE
· 100 ratings
4.6/10
7.4K
•••
Asumiendo el libro en que se inspira puede ser o no cierto, creo que es un buen drama - sobrenatural, sobre un padre en crisis con un hijo con dotes que también lo tienen en auto descubrimiento no sin controversias.