A Southern Gothic tale of guilt and family trauma
What did Josiah see?
According to what we hear at the beginning of the film, he sees a dancing dwarf that produces rainbows.
Since Josiah Graham (Robert Patrick) seems like a clairvoyant, he probably hasn't seen this chick for real. But despite his apparent madness, what he sees has real-world connections. Unfortunately, not all of his views are as cheerful as a little green man doing an adorable jig for viewing pleasure.
In this Southern Gothic tale of family trauma, violence, and the (apparent) supernatural, he sees more troubling things, including a vision of his dead wife who warns of sin for both himself and his children. from their past.
What are these sins? This is for you to find out if you choose to look at this disturbing fridge. Josiah is an innocent man, and his adult children, Eli, Tommy, and Mary, each have secrets of their own. As the film progresses, their secrets (or sins) are revealed, and they're likely to turn your stomach. To say more would do a disservice to the Graham family and director Vincent Grashaw, who has taken the time to uncover the truth.
The film consists of three chapters, and although they seem unrelated, the events of each eventually touch the central plot. The dreams and prophecies (even the vision of the seer) seen by each character in these chapters are worth paying attention to, as they all relate to each of the protagonists' journeys towards a violent and tragic conclusion.
In the first chapter, we meet Josiah and his son Tommy (Scott Haze), and it soon becomes clear that their relationship is not healthy. A scene in Tommy's bedroom is particularly disturbing, hinting at the abuse Tommy suffered at the hands of his father as a child.
In this chapter, Josiah suddenly becomes "religious" after seeing a vision of his dead wife burning in hellfire. He tells her to make up for the mistakes of the past because that is the only way for the family to be saved. Failure to do so will see them all burn in hell, so Josiah wastes no time before teaching Tommy what he must do to save his life.
Chapter 2 focuses on Eli (Nick Stahl) and his criminal past. To pay off a debt to a local town gangster, he is tasked with stealing gold from some visiting gypsies. In the process, he is able to get away with the crime he was previously convicted of, but as we learn more about Eli in chapter three, we discover that he has other "sins" to account for.
In chapter three, we meet Mary (Kelly Garner) and soon realize that she is just as troubled as her male siblings. This is evidenced by the bottle of Ketamine she keeps in her bathroom cabinet, but we don't have much time to focus on Eli's psychiatric condition when Eli arrives at her door with an offer to buy out her old family from an oil company. farm. They return to their exes' childhood homes and meet up with Tommy, but while their union is happy at first, things take a dark and violent turn when the family's sins are revealed.
The director manages to create a sense of fear in every part of the film. He's slow to reveal the shocking events that underlie the Graham family's guilty past, but when he does, they hit us like a sledgehammer. They are extremely disturbing in nature, so we must warn you that if you have experienced your own childhood traumas, what you see and hear may affect you.
But as disturbing as the story is, if you have a stomach for its more gruesome aspects, this is not a film to ignore. The performances of all the main players are exceptional, especially from Scott Haze, who deserves to be more famous than he actually is. You may remember him from James Franco's Child of God, where he played a misfit trying to exist outside the social order. He was just as brilliant as the tortured man in this film as the lonely soul in this film, and it's about time he was given more parts that allowed him to showcase his superior acting talents.
The entire cast deserves credit, as does cinematographer Carlos Ritter, who deftly matches the bitter tone of the story with the dark and oppressive characters he portrays on screen. Although the film's subject matter and long running time can make it difficult to sit through at times, it is a quality production in every way.
Performances
Thankfully, the stellar performances of the cast and the masterful storyline do a lot to keep us interested, as it's easy to get invested in the lives of these characters, even if they're not always likeable.
Despite being released on Shudder, this is not a horror film in the traditional sense. We're never quite sure if the ghosts depicted here are real or just a figment of the character's imagination, and there's no real jump scare to speak of. However, the movie is still pretty scary because certain scenes are not out of place. And due to the gruesome nature of this family's guilty past, there's enough here to make you squirm in your seat (and forget your popcorn) while watching.
Recommended
This is definitely a movie that can be recommended, although you have to be patient. The answers to the film's riddles are slow to reveal, and even when things begin to unravel, you may still be left with questions after the credits roll.
However, Josiah Saw is still worthwhile, especially if you're someone who likes to unravel the mysteries of a movie on your own or with others. If you can train your brain to work rather than patronize yourself, you'll get a lot out of this cheesy but fascinating tale.
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