Beth de Araújo’s latest film, Josephine, is set to make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2026. This tense drama, featuring Channing Tatum and Gemma Chan, explores the challenges faced by parents helping their daughter cope with the aftermath of witnessing a violent crime. The film presents a deeply personal narrative, tackling themes of trauma and the legal system following a horrific event.
The story centers on a young girl named Josephine, who accidentally witnesses a violent sexual assault in Golden Gate Park. De Araújo’s aim is to shed light on a topic that remains largely unspoken in society. “There’s so much silence around it—even saying the word rape is very uncomfortable for everyone,” she explains. This project, which she began writing in 2014, evolved through her experiences and research, including attending a sexual assault case at the San Francisco Hall of Justice.
To develop the script further, de Araújo received the SFFILM/Rainin Filmmaking Grant, which facilitated her immersion into the subject matter. While working on the screenplay, she also began attending therapy and volunteered at the Los Angeles Rape and Battering Hotline, gaining insights that informed her writing. Although she had not previously directed a feature film, she first showcased her talent with Soft & Quiet, a thriller that premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in 2022.
Tatum, who plays the role of Damien, found the script emotionally impactful. “It was really painful to read just because I could tell it was coming from a very real place,” he said. Upon meeting de Araújo, he encouraged her to adjust Damien’s character to reflect his own Southern upbringing, which mirrored some aspects of how he navigates trauma.
For the role of Claire, de Araújo approached Chan, who had recently gained acclaim from her performance in Crazy Rich Asians. Initially, de Araújo felt hesitant due to Chan’s striking beauty, fearing it might detract from the authenticity of the role. However, after meeting her, de Araújo found Chan to be incredibly generous and insightful about Claire’s relationship with Josephine. Chan has personal ties to the material, stating, “I am a sexual assault survivor myself, and there are some things in Claire’s background that really spoke to me.”
De Araújo’s own experiences also influenced the narrative. Her mother was a professional dancer for the San Francisco Ballet, and she imbued elements of her upbringing into the film. However, she aimed to modernize the dialogue around trauma and parenting. “My parents never talked to me about that morning until I was in my 20s,” she shared, indicating the evolution of societal conversations regarding such topics.
As legal proceedings loom, Claire and Damien struggle with how to communicate the traumatic event to their daughter. “It’s such a difficult situation,” Chan noted, highlighting the complexity of their differing approaches. The filmmakers faced the daunting task of casting the character of Josephine, ultimately discovering Mason Reeves at a farmer’s market in San Francisco. Despite having no prior acting experience, Reeves delivers a poignant performance, embodying a child grappling with confusion and fear.
Reeves, who turned eight during the first week of filming in July 2024, brought an innocent energy to the set. Chan remarked, “She was amazing; her endurance kept us going a lot of the time on these long days.” De Araújo emphasized the importance of portraying the attack through a child’s perspective, aiming for visceral authenticity. She ensured a trauma therapist was present during particularly intense scenes to support the cast.
Reflecting on the personal nature of the project, de Araújo described the filming process as a therapeutic experience. “Seeing how small Mason was did give me a sense of empathy for my childhood self,” she said, acknowledging her own past struggles. The film not only impacted de Araújo but also transformed Tatum and Chan’s perspectives on parenthood and personal growth.
“I felt lighter at the end of the process,” Chan observed, emphasizing the cathartic nature of their journey together. Tatum, a father himself, recognized the challenges of parenting, stating, “This is a hard place, and it’s a hard job to love someone.”
As Josephine prepares for its debut in Park City, the team hopes to offer viewers a profound and empathetic experience. De Araújo expressed her desire for the audience to engage deeply with the film, stating, “I think perhaps my work will always be an invitation to accept that a better world is possible—maybe, hopefully.”
