Sundance 2026 Drama "Josephine" Explores Trauma Through Child's Eyes

Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan star in this shattering film about an 8-year-old witness to a violent crime.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 8:23pm by Ben Kaplan

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Beth de Araújo's Josephine, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance 2026, is a visceral and delicate story of an 8-year-old girl who witnesses a violent sexual assault in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The film follows Josephine and her parents Damien (Channing Tatum) and Claire (Gemma Chan) as they struggle to cope with the trauma and its aftermath. Newcomer Mason Reeves delivers a stunning performance as Josephine, whose growing confusion and resentment towards authority is reflected in the film's raw, unflinching aesthetic.

Why it matters

Josephine tackles the difficult subject of childhood sexual trauma and the challenges parents face in helping their child understand and process such a traumatic event. The film's autobiographical elements, drawn from director Beth de Araújo's own experiences, lend an authenticity and emotional weight to the story. Josephine also explores broader philosophical questions about human morality and sexuality through the lens of a child's perspective.

The details

In the film, Josephine and her father Damien are briefly separated during a morning run in Golden Gate Park, and Josephine witnesses a mysterious assailant (Philip Ettinger) violently assault a jogger (Syra McCarthy). Neither Damien nor Josephine's mother Claire (Gemma Chan) can find the right way to explain the event to Josephine, leaving her emotionally adrift as she grows more confused and violent towards her classmates. Josephine begins to picture the attacker in the spaces around her, and the film's cinematography and score work to reflect her growing unease.

  • Early one morning in San Francisco, Josephine and her father Damien go running in Golden Gate Park.
  • Josephine witnesses the violent sexual assault during the run.

The players

Josephine

An 8-year-old girl who witnesses a violent sexual assault in Golden Gate Park.

Damien

Josephine's father, a tough-love parent who struggles to help his daughter cope with the trauma.

Claire

Josephine's mother, an artist and dancer who searches for ways to talk Josephine through the trauma but falls back on platitudes.

Philip Ettinger

The mysterious assailant who commits the violent sexual assault that Josephine witnesses.

Syra McCarthy

The victim of the violent sexual assault that Josephine witnesses.

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What they’re saying

“Josephine is as visceral as it is delicate. The story of an eight-year-old girl who witnesses a violent sexual assault, and her parents who don't quite know how to help her cope, the movie's difficult story, and its rough, raw aesthetic approach, create some of the most challenging parameters for a child actress in recent memory.”

— Siddhant Adlakha, Reviewer (IGN)

“Reeves, who de Araújo discovered at a farmer's market a few months before filming, brings a shocking naturalism to the part. Josephine is the masculine 'Jo' to her father, and the cutesy 'JoJo' to her mother, roles which the character and the actress alike effortlessly oscillate between, as they try to find a sense of stability while the floor is pulled out from under them.”

— Siddhant Adlakha, Reviewer (IGN)

What’s next

The film is expected to have a wider theatrical release following its Sundance premiere, allowing more audiences to experience this powerful and emotionally challenging drama.

The takeaway

Josephine is a shattering exploration of childhood trauma that grapples with difficult questions about human sexuality and morality. The film's raw, unflinching approach and stunning central performance make it one of the most impactful independent dramas to emerge from the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.