Film Review - Raging Grace (2023)

After a year when British debut directors have found themselves firmly in the spotlight, 2023 draws to close with a final addition to the list. Paris Zarcilla. A British Filipino filmmaker, who announced his arrival at SXSW23, he’s also picked up two BIFA nominations for Raging Grace and, by all s, it’s just the start. A sequel is already on the way.

Joy (Max Eigenmann) is a Filipino immigrant in the UK. With no visa, she’s working illegally, something made all the more difficult by having to keep her young daughter, Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla), a secret. But things start to look up when she lands the job of carer to a terminally ill man. Even better is that his niece, Katherine (Leanne Best), is more than happy to dodge the system and pay in cash. But, concerned that his medication is making his condition worse, Joy tries something different and the results are unexpected. Not only does it awaken him from a near coma, but he becomes paternal towards Grace and it becomes obvious that he’s not necessarily a victim.

In a film that uses social commentary to link the thriller and horror elements of it narrative, we’re left no doubt that history always influences the present day. Its roots in the colonial era feed into current attitudes, the bitter taste of racism lingers in the constant references to “you people” and the roles they were always assigned, often of the most menial nature. Zarcilla fuses this with the contemporary issue of illegal workers, the complexity of the web surrounding them and its built-in racism. Joy’s efforts to get a visa are decidedly shady and her treats her with open contempt, while her various employers make feeble attempts to disguise the same attitude.

An early surprise gives us a flavour of what to expect in of atmosphere. Most of them come courtesy of Grace, the highly intelligent and mischievous daughter, but as the film unfolds their impact weakens. No matter, though, because the story has taken an increasingly psychological turn, especially when it comes to David Hayman’s lip-smacking performance as the less-than-vulnerable patient. His motives aren’t always clear and, rather than digging any deeper, Zarcilla moves into gothic horror territory, all dark cellars, ghosts and raging fire. It’s not a wholly successful transition and comes with more than a whiff of suspicion that he and his son/co-writer Pancake Zarcilla were struggling to find the right conclusion. It’s not a great fit, but the atmosphere remains, with some soaring choral music giving a welcome frisson. In fact, the soundtrack is one of the film’s greatest assets, reflecting Joy’s heritage and conjuring an uncomfortable atmosphere with its jangling tone.

The film’s inconsistencies mean the audience is never fully engaged and, because it shies away from committing to a particular genre, the climax doesn’t reach the white knuckle heights it aspires to. But there’s more than enough potential here to raise expectations for that sequel.