Little Joe
A plant breeder’s gift to her son becomes an unsettling test of whether engineered happiness is worth surrendering human agency.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- eerie
- clinical
- foreboding
- thoughtful movie night
- arthouse film viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized the film’s inventive premise, stylized science-fiction atmosphere, and performances while finding its execution overly slow and tedious.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alice’s engineered crimson flower appears therapeutic while raising fears that its biology can influence people and reshape social behavior.
The laboratory, flower displays, costumes, and performances use polished, stylized surfaces that make ordinary interactions feel subtly unnatural.
Little Joe is designed to make owners happy, but Alice’s growing suspicion turns its therapeutic promise into a source of dread.
Alice’s work as a senior plant breeder becomes inseparable from her fears about bringing the engineered flower into her home with Joe.
Films like Little Joe, and why
Jurassic Park
Shared themes of biological experimentation, scientific hubris, and creeping distrust within an emotionally restrained science fiction thriller.
Ex Machina
Both use controlled scientific environments and altered biology to create unsettling questions about human agency and unintended consequences.
Under the Skin
Comparable for its alienating laboratory aesthetics, psychological unease, and ambiguous boundary between technology and human identity.
The Stepford Wives
Shares its cool, stylized presentation, family anxiety, and speculative premise involving an apparently benevolent force that becomes threatening.
Movie Details
- Director
- Jessica Hausner
- Release Date
- 2019-11-01
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (335)
Cast
- Emily Beecham
- Ben Whishaw
- Kerry Fox
- Kit Connor
- David Wilmot
- Phénix Brossard
- Sebastian Hülk
- Lindsay Duncan
- Jessie Mae Alonzo
- Andrew Rajan
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Little Joe about?
- A plant breeder’s gift to her son becomes an unsettling test of whether engineered happiness is worth surrendering human agency.
- What is Little Joe like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Little Joe as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Little Joe violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Little Joe.
- What did critics think of Little Joe?
- Critics broadly recognized the film’s inventive premise, stylized science-fiction atmosphere, and performances while finding its execution overly slow and tedious.
- Which films are like Little Joe?
- Films with a similar feel include Jurassic Park, Ex Machina, Under the Skin, and The Stepford Wives.
- How long is Little Joe?
- Little Joe runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch Little Joe?
- In United States, Little Joe streams on Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel.
