'Josephine' Trailer: Channing Tatum and Jamie Chung Can't Escape the Violence

Writer-director Beth De Araujo's second feature is about the horror of the world children can see and the cost of bearing witness.

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We use vendors who may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The gap between the safe and loving world we want to build for children and the world we live in is wider than a galaxy. But in "Josephine," Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan are parents who, on an unremarkable Saturday morning, witness their daughter Josephine (newcomer Mason Reeves) being attacked in the San Francisco park where they like to run.

This provocative incident is based on what happened to writer-director Beth D'Araujo when she was young. But where he and the film take the aftermath of this event is unique to the filmmaker's uncanny ability to explore how power and evil move freely in our world, both when people have terrible intentions and when their intentions are good. RELATED STORIES John Wilson's 'Concrete History' Crosses $2 Million at the Box Office, Becomes a Major Documentary Hit for Magnolia 'Flying Ace' Turns 100, Bringing a Forgotten Black Actor Back into the Spotlight

As IndieWire's Keith Erbland wrote in his review, "Araujo remains unbeaten in making stunning films that I both wholeheartedly recommend and never watch again. When watching an Araújo feature, it springs to mind. This applies to both the audience and its characters (the good guys and the bad guys). While his first film, Soft and Quiet, was cleverly crafted to look like it was filmed in a single moment, his second film is more about the constant build-up of dread.

"Josephine" premiered at Sundance and won critical acclaim at the festival this fall. At TIFF, Araujo spoke with IndieWire about how the film was a slow-start process, from a first draft in 2014 to a major revision in 2018 as part of that year's Sundance Lab, to working with Tatum and Chan and casting Reeves with just six weeks left in the shoot. But the film's young star, who hails from the same area of ​​San Francisco where Araujo grew up, was meant to be.

"I think everyone feels a responsibility to make sure Mason has a good experience," Araujo told IndieWire. And I think that connected us all as a cast and crew. It's like there's something more innocent here than us."

"Josephine" opens in theaters on Friday, November 20. Watch the latest trailer for the film below.