LITTLE JOE
Jessica HAUSNER — AUSTRIA, UNITED KINGDOM, GERMANY — 105 minutes
IN A NUTSHELL
Alice (Emily Beecham), a single mother, is a dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation which is engaged in developing new species of flower. She has engineered a very special crimson flower, which is unremarkably beautiful but also has immense therapeutic value (as it grows the plant makes its owners happier). Against company policy, Alice takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe (Kit Connor). They christen it ‘Little Joe’ but all is not what it seems. (words by Bianca Garner)
CRITICAL RESPONSE
“Little Joe is an intricately calculated, bloodless film whose plot sounds far more intriguing than Hausner has succeeded in making it. With a plot full of holes and inconsistencies, the film relies heavily on her schematic color theme in the production design. Red is the film’s signature color, starting with Little Joe’s blossom, but represented as a significant highlight in every scene. What is lacking here is a spark of life that animates these ingredients as successfully as in her better films, like Amour Fou. Little Joe is a creation that could stand a bit more lab time before coming to market.” — Barbara Scharres, RogerEbert.com
“Like The Killing of a Sacred Deer before it, Little Joe is more or less straight-up genre fare, which rarely gets included in the Cannes competition lineup. And just as Lanthimos’ film did, it puts you in a hostile environment with its own sinister rules. Through clinically precise visual design, including expressive use of lighting and framing, Hausner is able to sustain an otherworldly atmosphere that evokes paranoia and dread. The strange, at times shrilly discordant score is a bold and likely divisive choice, but it certainly keys you in on all the nastiness bubbling under the perfectly manicured surface.” — Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Daily
“The metaphors in this story are much more fascinating than the actual movie. If you think about it, the advances in science have made it possible to lead a happier life, but do we maintain our own selves in the process? Little Joe is what I would call “slowburn arthouse” horror. There is barely any blood, nor are there any deaths — the real threat is the plant’s smell changing the course of your brain chemistry. The problem is that Hausner can’t really find the tension behind this peculiar story.” — Jordan Ruimy, World of Reel
PRIZE PROSPECTS
Jessica Hausner returns to Cannes, and for the first time in competition. A simmering talent, with previous efforts, Amour Fou and Lourdes, still somehow under-seen, but still a high benchmark to reach for. Her new quirky science movie has a mixed bag of responses, which might mean very little given the film’s vivid, acquired taste. Hausner has the established mantra on her side, in Cannes circles at least, so the swift change of pace with Little Joe could be seen as an inspirational move.
Perhaps way too dividing overall (a common theme at Cannes), the film’s reluctance to engage with audiences on an emotional level could be decisive. Even during the press conference, a question probed the idea that the film may well be too stylized given its clinical setting. The film is a great platform for the up and coming British talent, with Emily Beecham and Ben Whishaw – if the actress field is not too crowded, Beecham would be a fine choice to reward both the film and the striking performance. Likely empty-handed though. (words by Robin Write)
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