Review: Josie – “Keeps viewers on the edge of their seats”

“There’s all sorts of stories. Happy ones. Sad ones. Pathetic ones. Mine.”

Thus launches the story of thriller film Josie, and you can bet the story keeps you under its spell with just as firm as a grip as it does with these opening words.

Dylan McDermott is miles away from the all-American pretty boy types he made a name playing, starring as southerner-with-a-dark-past Hank, a quiet man who prefers his pet tortoises over his neighbours for company. Doing his best to keep to himself in his new hometown in Florida, Hank’s world turns upside down when a brazen teenage girl moves in across the street. Josie (Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner) lives alone despite her young age, and the two soon strike up an unlikely friendship that will take them down a path no-one could have anticipated.

McDermott’s performance is extraordinary, and his slow drawl matches the pace of the film as it slides lazily by in the sun-drenched scenes, making the unexpected climax all the more confronting. Josie will leave your head spinning and your heart reeling. Despite occasional glitches in her American accent, Turner gives a powerhouse performance opposite McDermott, whose quiet Southern antihero keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from the opening frame until the last.

Available on DVD and digital download now.