Vincent (Victor Ezenfis), a teenage boy consumed with an identity crisis, learns who his father is. Then he has a key made to fit his bio-contributor’s office where he hides under a divan. In revulsion at the immorality he witnesses and in long-burning resentment for abandoning him, Vincent sets a sharp blade to Dad’s throat.
Rippling through this increasingly alarming story is the grand masterwork by Michelangelo, “The Sacrifice of Abraham,” which hangs in Vincent’s bedroom above his bed. At the moment of Vincent’s decision, he visualizes this religious icon and has the choice to heed the angel’s command or not.
Embedded with baroque themes and morality, the gripping plot is significantly challenged by a slow pace that lingers long on poetic recitation, operatic performance and lingering scenes of no consequence.
Still good for a night of film, conversation and music, Eugène Green’s “The Son of Joseph” plays Feb. 18 as part of the Portland International Film Festival, which coincides with the Portland Jazz Festival.
Ranking: 4/10
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