rewrite this title Sundance 2026: Beth de Araújo’s ‘Josephine’ is Awe-Inspiring Cinema | FirstShowing.net

Sundance 2026: Beth de Araújo’s ‘Josephine’ is Awe-Inspiring Cinema

by Alex Billington January 24, 2026

Wow wow wow. It’s still January and I’m already ready to drop my first full on 10/10 perfect review because this film deserves it. One of the best films of 2026 just premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival taking place in Park City, Utah. Josephine is the REAL deal. I’m blown away by this film. Awe-inspiring filmmaking about a topic that is incredibly hard to talk about. But this film will be talked about for years. I’m not even sure where to start with it, all I want to do is heap more superlatives & hyperbolic praise onto it. I want to grab everyone I see walking around the streets of Park City at the festival and tell them “you HAVE to see this!!” Watching films at Sundance for the last 20 years, this festival has premiered a number of provocative films about sexual assault, including the unforgettable The Tale at Sundance 2018 (which I still can never forget watching) and many documentaries. Josephine is the latest – inspired by a true story the filmmaker experienced herself when she was 8 years old, then writing & directing this film decades later.

Written & directed by the massively talented filmmaker Beth de Araújo, Josephine is her second feature film after her debut Soft & Quiet in 2022. In the film, when 8-year-old Josephine (starring the amazing Mason Reeves in her first ever role) accidentally witnesses a horrible sexual assault in Golden Gate Park, she acts out in search of a way to regain control of her safety, while adults are helpless to console her. The story is framed entirely from her POV, following Jo (or JoJo – as her parents call her) as she struggles to deal with the aftermath of this event, not only with how society still hasn’t figured out how to properly stop and/or imprison most of the atrocious men who commit these crimes, also with her young mind not being able to really make sense of what happened and why everyone is breaking down around her. Her parents are played by Channing Tatum as Damien and Gemma Chan as Claire and they are both magnificent in their roles as well. These three characters are the core of the film are each outstanding in their own ways, handling the dynamic of the situation in different ways but also being the strength Jo needs to step ahead each new day.

This is not only a sensitive & challenging topic to discuss correctly in cinema, but it’s especially hard to tell this story from the perspective of an 8-year-old child. Damn near impossible – yet Beth de Araújo has pulled it off. And that’s only part of what makes this film phenomenal. This is seriously profound cinema. It’s towering, extraordinary filmmaking that leaves you so moved, so impressed that you can’t even get up from your seat when the credits start rolling. All I could muster was “wow.” I’m glad festivals like Sundance are bold enough to support and play these kinds of films – they’re seriously important for making a difference in the world. And I don’t say that very often anymore, but this film did have that kind of massive impact on me. And I hope it will also change everyone else who takes the time to watch it. What’s most astonishing is how compelling it is to watch and how endless creative decisions within the filmmaking elevate this from a complex story about society’s troubles into something that will be appraised & appreciated as a masterful achievement in modern cinema. Scene after scene, shot after shot, the acting, score, all of it is magnificent.

There’s honestly nothing to really criticize. I can’t even think of one aspect that I have issues with. I’ve seen plenty of films over 20 years of Sundance that deal with sensitive topics, but few of them ever feature such beautifully bold filmmaking. The vivid score by composer Miles Ross is distinctly chilling but also just as profound & moving as the story. All three of the lead performances are invigorating, each one mesmerizing and powerful. The gorgeous visual choices with the cinematography by DP Greta Zozula are breathtaking. It’s obvious that everyone involved in making the film believed in Beth de Araújo’s vision, and understood what she was trying to do and why telling this unsettling yet meaningful story about sexual assault through specific lens can be impactful. And it sticks the landing, too. It’s hard to go through so much of this film, so much of this heavy, emotional, intense story without the need to feel like there’s something worthwhile to take away from it. And there is – another impossible achievement. That’s the real power of storytelling – we tell stories to make us all feel like the world can be a better place through our collective understanding of humanity’s flaws in addition to our strengths. Its those strengths that are what truly unite us and inspire us.

Alex’s Sundance 2026 Rating: 10 out of 10Follow Alex on Twitter – @firstshowing / Or Letterboxd – @firstshowing

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