Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
By Robert Scucci
| Published
2025 was a quiet year for Nicolas Cage, as he appeared in only two movies: the laughably terrible Gunslingersand The Carpenter’s Sonwhich I didn’t even know existed until I was scrolling through Tubi last night. Though it’s worth mentioning that during this time he was absolutely nailing his first official TV role with Spider-Blackwhich was in active production from August 2024 to March 2025, explaining the perceived dip in his prolificness. And if you consider all three titles, it makes sense. Gunslingers and The Carpenter’s Son both feel like “white chip” jobs that kept our one true God busy while he wasn’t actively working on the blue-chip production that is Spider Noir.
At least that’s how I feel about The Carpenter’s Son. It’s a tight thriller centered on some of Jesus Christ’s lost years, and it tells a story about demon possession, I think. At its heart, though, it’s a story about a father and his son, and how something bigger than both of them will determine their fate in 15 AD. Outside of that, it’s mostly a bunch of moping and some pretty solid gore, but it’s not enough for me to consider this a full film.
Jesus, Mary, And Joseph!
The Carpenter’s Son begins with The Mother (FKA Twigs) giving birth to The Boy (Noah Jupe) under the supervision and care of The Carpenter (Nicolas Cage). It’s heavily implied that The Carpenter, or Joseph, is not the boy’s biological father, but he still needs to protect The Boy because he comes from divine lineage. Plagued by nightmares and demons, along with the very real threat of children being rounded up and burned alive, The Carpenter lives in secrecy with The Mother and The Boy, vowing to protect them at all costs.
Nicolas Cage spends most of his screen time rattling off Bible verses and disciplining The Boy, who doesn’t yet know he’s the son of God, but has his suspicions. Whenever he touches the unclean, they appear to be healed, suggesting supernatural abilities. The Boy also feels everybody’s pain and is plagued by visions of his own, most of which are the result of The Stranger (Isla Johnston), or Satan, whispering in his ear.
The rest of the movie is basically The Carpenter trying to protect The Boy and keep him on a righteous path, The Mother agreeing with him, and The Boy rightfully lashing out because he has no clue what’s happening to him. The Stranger, whose snake-like influence corrupts The Boy, becomes a force to be reckoned with because she thrives on humanity’s collective suffering, and she knows that The Boy is her only roadblock. If she can defeat him, the world as we know it will most likely come to an end.
Wonderfully Shot And Acted, But Otherwise A Waste Of Time
All the talent involved with The Carpenter’s Son is solid. Everybody rises to the occasion here, but it never feels like a feature film. The story, by design, is incredibly basic: a family has a kid who’s the son of God, his father figure tries to protect him and guide him in the right direction without explicitly telling him why, followed by the expected familial fallout once dark forces reveal themselves.
Nicolas Cage nails it as the refusing-to-waver father with the weight of the world on his shoulders. FKA Twigs expertly portrays a morally wounded Mary, caught between her maternal obligations and her spiritual ones. Noah Jupe is caught in the middle of the conflict as The Boy, and he shines brightest when he’s being actively antagonized by The Stranger, who is absolutely terrifying thanks to Isla Johnston’s performance. If there’s ever an award to be handed out for The Carpenter’s Sonit’s for Johnston’s resting scowl. She never does anything especially over the top or violent, but I legitimately felt violated by the way she stared through everybody’s soul.
At the end of the day, The Carpenter’s Son is a 94-minute movie that could have easily been wrapped up in 30 minutes, which is a shame because it was shot on location in Greece, and the scenery does so much of the heavy lifting. I just wish there had been a better reason to occupy that scenery when so little actually happens in it.
As of this writing, you can stream The Carpenter’s Son for free on Tubi.
THE CARPENTER’S SON SCORE
