Gemma Chan and Channing Tatum were present at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater in Park City, Utah on Friday, January 23, for the premiere of their new movie, Josephine. They were joined by their co-stars Mason Reeves, Philip Ettinger and Syra McCarthy, as well as the film's writer, director, and producer Beth de Araújo.
Josephine is a drama thriller centered around Josephine, an eight-year-old girl, played by Mason Reeves, who witnesses a crime in Golden Gate Park. The film explores Josephine's struggle to regain control of her safety, while the adults around her are unable to console her. Chan and Tatum play Josephine's parents, Claire and Damien, who are loving but "ill-equipped to navigate the upheaval their family faces".
The film delves into the moral challenges faced by Josephine's parents as they grapple with how to explain the situation to their daughter. They must confront difficult questions, such as how to explain that offenders sometimes evade justice. Damien's reaction is to encourage physical activity as a way to quiet the mind, while Claire grapples with how much to reveal to Josephine. The couple clashes over whether to send Josephine to a psychologist or to self-defense lessons, and whether discussing consent is appropriate. As the family becomes involved in legal proceedings, their marriage strains under the pressure. Claire becomes pregnant, adding more complexity to the family's situation.
De Araújo's direction creates a "tense, devastating, and transcendently empathetic portrait" of a young girl grappling with fear and anger after experiencing violence. The film uses a unique visual language to represent how the experience continues to haunt her. Greta Zozula's cinematography places the audience in Josephine's vulnerable perspective.
Some critics note that the film contains mature content and is not recommended for audiences under 17. It also contains on-screen depictions of assault. One reviewer noted that the film is "bone-chillingly real, filmed to maximize the dark reality of true evil that exists out there in the world". However, the same reviewer also praises the movie for spreading its message compassionately.
Josephine was workshopped at the Sundance Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2018. Production occurred in San Francisco in April 2024. The film is part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance. It will be available to the public online from January 29 to February 1, and to credentialed press and industry from January 28 to February 1.
