It’s difficult to gauge just how seriously to take a film that casts Nicolas Cage as Joseph, the carpenter who raised Jesus. Given Cage’s signature California drawl and his tendency toward dramatic outbursts, one might assume this is just another eccentric late-career role — akin to his turns as Dracula or even himself. Yet The Carpenter’s Son, a puzzling mix of horror, fantasy, and drama, makes it clear this is intended as earnest — though entertaining it is not.

Directed by Egypt-born, London-raised Lotfy Nathan, the film draws from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a controversial text offering a debated glimpse into Jesus’ early years. From the start, Nathan signals that this is far from a conventional biblical story: a chaotic cave-based birth sequence leads to a macabre bonfire scene, where King Herod’s soldiers throw infants into the flames as mothers scream. Cage’s unnamed carpenter and his wife (FKA twigs) escape, eventually settling in a remote village with their teenage son (Noah Jupe).

There’s a hint of promise in exploring Jesus as a gifted boy navigating a world of conflicting forces, with a strict and joyless father and suspicious townspeople. A lonely, unusual girl provides some connection, though it quickly becomes clear she is trouble. Beyond that, the film struggles to define itself — is it a supernatural coming-of-age tale, an extreme horror story, a superhero origin, or social commentary? In the end, it attempts all of the above without coherently succeeding.

While the Greek landscapes are striking, Nathan’s imagery fails to frighten, and the storytelling feels rushed and disjointed. The cast fares no better: FKA twigs is stiff and unconvincing, Jupe is mostly neutral but largely wasted, and Cage is predictably miscast. His performance fluctuates awkwardly between the restrained style of Pig and Dream Scenario and his more outrageous, fan-pleasing extremes, mirroring the film’s uneven tone.

Ultimately, the film’s confusion doesn’t stem from daring originality but from a lack of clarity about its own identity. Whatever Nathan and Cage intended, the result is a muddled, dull experience.