The Carpenter’s Son (2025)
Directed by: Lotfy Nathan
Premise: Inspired by the Gospel of Thomas. In the year 15 C.E., teenage Jesus (Noah Jupe) and his parents (FKA Twigs and Nicolas Cage) evade the Romans and search for a place to live and work. Jesus is confronted by Satan, appearing as a teenaged girl (Isla Johnston).
What Works: The Carpenter’s Son differentiates itself from other faith-based movies with its unique approach. The story is based on the Gospel of Thomas, writings about Jesus Christ that were not included in the Bible and were discovered by historians relatively recently. The Gospel of Thomas includes stories of Jesus’ teenage years, a period of time omitted from the Biblical Gospels. In addition to the unusual source material, The Carpenter’s Son takes a dark tone; the film might well be categorized as horror as it deals with possession and violence. This is not the typical religious picture. It’s not designed to appeal to the crowds that turn out for the movies of Angel Studios and Affirm Films and it’s a bold choice to make the movie this way. The strongest aspect of The Carpenter’s Son is the relationship between Jesus and Satan. The teenage Jesus doesn’t realize at first who he is talking to and this story plays as the first temptation of Christ. It’s about recognizing the reality of evil in the world and the role of choice in our own moral character. Noah Jupe and Isla Johnston are quite good as Jesus and Satan. Jupe plays Jesus as a teenager with all the confusion that entails while Johnston possesses a seething anger and suggests an ancient intelligence.
What Doesn’t: The story of The Carpenter’s Son is split into two plotlines: Jesus’ relationship with Satan and Joseph’s relationship to his family. Both plotlines are underwritten but Joseph’s story does not work at all. This part of the film is intended to dramatize Joseph’s struggle with his faith. He’s been charged to raise a son who is not his own flesh and blood and the family must evade the authorities while finding a way to survive. It’s an interesting idea but there’s nothing here. Joseph’s story is fumbled and his relationship to his faith and to his family don’t come to any conclusion. Nicolas Cage (who is also credited as a producer) is badly miscast as Joseph. He’s too old for the role and Cage’s American accent and broad acting style are out of sync with the rest of the movie.
Bottom Line: There is a lot to admire about The Carpenter’s Son. It’s trying to do more than the typical religious film. It also fails in many regards, especially the portrait of the family and the story of Joseph.
Episode: #1075 (November 23, 2025)