Firstly, a HUGE thanks to our Patreon supporters. Your generosity touches me deeply. These supporters have become the single biggest contributing factor to the survival of DVDBeaver. Your assistance has become essential. We are always trying to expand Patron benefits... you get access to the Silent Auctions and over 5000 unpublished screen captures (in lossless PNG format, if that has appeal for you) listed HERE. Please consider helping with $3 or more each month so we can continue to do our best in giving you timely, thorough reviews, calendar updates and detailed comparisons. Thank you so much. We aren't going to exist without another 100 or so patrons.


 

Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Jessica Hausner
Austria | UK | Germany | France 2019

 

Against company policy, plant breeder Alice takes home a newly created species as a gift for her teenage son, Joe. They christen it 'Little Joe' but as it grows, so too does Alice's suspicion that her new creations may not be as harmless as their nickname suggests from visionary director Jessica Hausner (Lourdes), Little Joe is a cool, witty and unsettling sci-fi starring Emily Beecham (Daphne, Into the Badlands) and Ben Whishaw (Skyfall, Paddington).

***

Alice, a single mother who is more dedicated to her work as a genetic engineer than to her teenage son Joe, develops a new variety of flower that is supposed to have the ability to make its owner happy thanks to its special chemical properties.

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 17th, 2019 (Cannes Film Festival)

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Bonus Captures:
Distribution BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:45:11.263        
Video

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 46,627,681,764 bytes

Feature: 32,641,669,440 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.26 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3703 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3703 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: BFI

 

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 46,627,681,764 bytes

Feature: 32,641,669,440 bytes

Video Bitrate: 33.26 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Jessica Hausner in Conversation (2020, 37:25): the director and co-writer of Little Joe talks to Geoff Andrew about the film and her career to date, recorded at BFI Southbank
• Emily Beecham on Little Joe (2020, 2:23): the Little Joe star talks about her character and what influenced both the film and her own performance
• Cast and crew Q&A (2019, 16:44): Jessica Hausner, co-screenwriter Geraldine Bajard and costume designer Tanja Hausner are joined by actors Emily Beecham and Kerry Fox for a post-screening talk hosted by Geoff Andrew at the 2019 London Film Festival
• The Birth of a Flower (1910, 7:46): Percy Smith's mesmerising early time-lapse film captures the poerty of flowers as they open their petals to the light
• Trailer (1:56)
***FIRST PRESSING ONLY*** Fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film and full film credits

Second disc DVD


 Blu-ray Release Date: June 15th, 2020
 Standard Transparent Blu-ray Case inside slipcase

Chapters 12

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: BFI Blu-ray (June 2020): BFI have transferred Jessica Hausner's Little Joe to Blu-ray. It looks stunning in 1080P. Kudos to the antiseptic look of Martin Gschlacht's frequent slow panning cinematography and the art direction of Francesca Massariol and Conrad Reinhardt. It's a beautiful looking film on this dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate. Crisp lines, rich pastels... I'm sure it's a strong replication of its festival theatrical run. 

NOTE: We have added 42 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, BFI offer the option of DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround or linear PCM stereo tracks (both 24-bit) in the original English language. this is, by no means a conventional sci-fi horror (although frequently 'creepy') and there aren't many aggressive effects but I really enjoyed the rhythmic music by Teiji Ito plus the Markus Binder piece building tension and mystery. BFI offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The BFI Blu-ray includes quite a few extras. Jessica Hausner, co-screenwriter Geraldine Bajard and costume designer Tanja Hausner are joined by actors Emily Beecham and Kerry Fox for a post-screening talk hosted by Geoff Andrew at the London Film Festival. It was recorded on October 4th, 2019 and runs over 1/4 hour. Also the director and co-writer talk to Geoff Andrew about Little Joe and look over her career to date. Recorded at BFI Southbank on 21st February 2020 running almost 38-minutes. We get a brief few minutes with Little Joe star, Emily Beecham, as she talks about her character and the influences behind the film and her award-winning performance. There is a trailer and, lastly the eight-minute 1910 The Birth of a Flower. Percy Smith's mesmerizing early time-lapse film captures the poetry of flowers opening their petals to the light. This silent marvel wowed Edwardian audiences so much that they were said to clamor for the projectionist to wind back the film and repeat the screening. The package has a second disc DVD and for the first pressing a fully illustrated booklet with new writing on the film and full film credits is included.

I found Jessica Hausner's Little Joe to be a cerebral genre cross between Day of the Triffids and Invasion of the Body Snatchers with a parental corollary thrown in. Critics panned it but I thoroughly enjoyed it - as it didn't slump into a generic 'fright-fest'. This is stylish filmmaking at its apex. I look forward to much more from Hausner - perhaps along these same lines. The BFI Blu-ray is a beautiful way to see this curious film in the comfort of your home. I know I will be revisiting. Recommended!

Gary Tooze

 

Menus / Extras

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE

 

 
Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

Bonus Captures:
Distribution BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

Search DVDBeaver

 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONATIONS Keep DVDBeaver alive:

 CLICK PayPal logo to donate!

Gary Tooze

Thank You!