Josephine

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, Josephine captures an intimate story of trauma and the ways it reverberates through a family.

Writer-director Beth de Araújo’s sophomore feature is a deeply personal story, rooted in the filmmaker's own childhood experience of interrupting a sexual assault in Golden Gate Park with her father. It stars Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan as the parents of eight-year-old Josephine (played by extraordinary newcomer Mason Reeves), whose childhood is marred when she witnesses a violent sexual assault. As she struggles to process what she’s seen, her once-safe world begins to descend into a scary place for a child who does not yet possess the tools to adequately express herself.

Desperate and conflicted about how to help their little girl, her parents argue over the moral quandary of having their daughter testify in front of a jury to convict a sexual predator, which demands an extremely high cost, both emotionally and psychologically, especially for Josephine.

WATERSHED RECOMMENDS
"Josephine was one of the best films I have seen this year – a devastating watch, but an important one. It is so beautifully shot and edited, and the cast are phenomenal. Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan offer two different, complex takes on parenthood, when their characters are faced with a situation no parent should have to navigate with their child. The switch in perspectives fully immerses you into the family, as you see things from Josephine's point-of-view." 
Gavin Sunderland, Development Coordinator

• Josephine on Tue 24 Nov is part of our Cinébites deal: get 30% off any main dish in the Café & Bar with a valid ticket for Club Shed members.

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