Josephine had its World Premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It is currently seeking US distribution.

By being located high up in the Utah mountains (or, starting next year, the Colorado mountains), intentionally positioned as far away as possible from the red carpets and bright lights of Hollywood, the Sundance Film Festival has always put itself in the best position to be the guiding light for the next generation of independent American filmmakers. In its early days, the festival ushered in the talents of Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape), Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs), Todd Haynes (Poison), and Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation). In more modern times, industry leaders like Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), Jordan Peele (Get Out), Ari Aster (Hereditary), and Celine Song (Past Lives) have each made their breakthroughs amid snowfall and frigid temperatures.

As part of this year’s U.S. Dramatic Competition is Josephine, a film that feels destined to launch its writer/director, Beth de Araújo, into the same realm of acclaim as the previously mentioned names. It’s a film that the festival has been backing for many years, initially taking the project under its wing as part of the 2018 Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Lab. After delays stemming from the pandemic and normal industry turmoil, the finished product has finally been unveiled. de Araújo clearly has used the years to refine and finely calibrate her story.

A child’s life is fully filtered through their parents, every day being filled with interactions that become pieces of the puzzle to them as a human being. When we’re first introduced to the titular Josephine (Mason Reeves), we see the world through her eyes, similar to that of what RaMell Ross instilled in Nickel Boys. She’s going out to Golden Gate Park with her dad (Channing Tatum) for soccer practice. She’s at the exact age where she wants to appear grown up, repeatedly exclaiming that such things “are for babies!”

In the park, Josephine will get her first unvarnished experience of the real world. In a playful race against her dad, she hides in a bush, waiting to jump out and scare him. On the other side of the trail, she watches as a woman walks into the park bathroom. A man then follows her in, drags her out, knocks her unconscious, and proceeds to rape her. The assailant is caught a few moments later, but that’s not the end of this.

The coldness of my description of the climactic events matches that of de Araújo’s presentation. With Josephine’s eyes serving as the camera, we watch as the act unfolds in real-time. It’s one of several moments where a lingering camera is used to amplify tension and horror with clinical precision.

Josephine’s life has now become bifurcated between the before and after of the event. Her childlike innocence has been short-lived, with her father and mother (Gemma Chan) having to guide her through the next phase. The parents have differing opinions, with mom wanting Josephine to see a psychiatrist, and dad putting her into a self-defense class. de Araújo plays down the middle of both sides, seeing the repercussions that come from running and facing your fears, especially when you’re too young to fully comprehend what’s happening.

Time will eventually heal this wound, but an aching scar will be left. Reeves is a transcendent performer, never letting the layers of artificiality that inherently come with film inhibit her from finding the emotional truth. Tatum and Chan are also excellent, two parents clinging to each other as they’ve been shot into the void. If, for some odd and cruel reason, you were forced to only watch one film from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, make sure it is this one.