Paris Zarcilla’s Raging Grace is a supernatural film exploring the dehumanisation of migrant workers and the systemic horrors of white power structures. It follows an undocumented immigrant working for a wealthy estate owner who struggles to provide her daughter with a better life. It also observes the social commentary of the privileged class that belittles outsiders. From His House to The Nanny, horror stories about the immigrant experience have become a device to frame the conversation on colonialism and class struggle by melding supernatural elements into the everyday harrows of migrant workers.
Joy (Max Eigenmann) is a single Filipina mother living in England who works various housekeeping jobs to provide the best life for her mischievous daughter, Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla). She accepts any available work, including cleaning posh, temporarily vacant homes. They bounce between homes, squatting in them, only to leave before the owners arrive. Desperate to purchase a permanent visa to allow her and Grace to stay in London, she accepts a job as a housekeeper and caregiver for Mr. Garrett (David Hayman), a wealthy, elderly aristocrat dying of cancer, who lives in a country mansion. His niece, Katherine (Leanne Best), requests Joy clean, cook their meals, and care for her uncle with no questions asked. Desperate, Joy sneaks Grace into another mansion inside a suitcase and orders her to stay inside the room to hide from Katherine. Grace wanders around the house, discovering more than meets the eye, particularly regarding Katherine’s care for her semi-comatose uncle.
Raging Grace uses several elements to elevate the ominous atmosphere. Joel Honeywell’s incredible cinematography captures the Gothic-oriented interior of Mr. Garrett’s estate. His camera follows the dark corridors of the mansion, capturing the ominous details which add an uneasy presence. The first time Joy enters the mansion, the furniture is covered in dust and sheets, and an unpleasantness fills the air. Zarcilla heightens the dreadful moments by introducing jump-scares, nightmares, hallucinations, and closed, hidden doors that reveal family secrets rooted in colonialism. Zarcilla and Honeywell present Mr. Garrett’s home as a doorway to their colonial history and a house filled with trauma, especially concerning the patriarch’s relationship with the previous caretaker, also a Filipina woman. Honeywell’s various scenes where the characters discover the family’s hidden history are heightened by horrifying moments using dark and oppressive lighting.
Zarcilla divides the film into chapters, introducing each one with quotes from Rudyard Kipling’s racist, pro-colonialism poem, “White Man’s Burden.” The poem highlights Kipling’s views on the white race, imperialism, and colonialism’s burden to help uncivilised people develop their civilisations, but this poem is a racist justification for the Western conquest. By adding these quotes to Raging Grace, Zarcilla provides a clear understanding and balance of historical and cultural commentary on why Joy and Grace are the new victims of Mr. Garrett’s schemes. Zarcilla flips the script by focusing on their relationship’s emotional core.
Eigenmann and Boadilla are tasked with showcasing the serious and playful relationship between Joy and Grace. Eigenmann shows different ranges of Joy’s distress, determination, and sacrifice as she tries to provide the best for Grace. It’s an intense, heartbreaking, and incredibly moving performance. Eigenmann’s scenes with Boadilla provide a delightful and emotionally uplifting depiction of the intense labor needed to build their relationship. Grace’s rebellious spirit and ill-timed pranks drive Joy crazy, but it’s clear that they have a love and understanding that encourages them to look out for each other.
Raging Grace’s story recognises the experience of immigrants and the challenges they go through to fit into society. It conveys the ultimate sacrifices of migrant workers and provides an exceptional social commentary on race and colonialism. Zarcilla captures the unknown threat of the family’s past and secrets and understands the nuanced and innovative themes exploring how colonisation impacted the Phillippines. Zarcilla elegantly layers these elements, creating dangerous moments and a satisfying debut with a new voice.
