Raging Grace [Fantasia International Film Festival Review]
Raging Grace is a combination horror film/social commentary. Like Nanny, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2022, it uses the genre to address the struggles of immigrants. Although not entirely successful at what it sets out to do, there’s no denying this is an ambitious, serious-minded picture that establishes writer/director Paris Zarcilla as someone to keep an eye on. The film was an official selection at the 2023 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Joy (Max Eigenmann) is an undocumented Filipina immigrant working as a housecleaner in London. She’s got a young daughter, Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla), who enjoys pranking her by jumping out of unexpected places and putting disgusting ingredients in her coffee. Joy is struggling to save up the $15,000 she needs to buy a visa that will allow her to stay in the country. Her occupation makes that challenging, given the low wages.
A lucky break presents itself when she’s offered a live-in job at a huge estate owned by the wealthy Mr. Garrett (David Hayman). He’s gravely ill and essentially in a coma, attended to by his niece Katherine (Leanne Best). The pay is great, but there are two hitches. First, she has to smuggle Grace into the home and keep her hidden from Katherine. Second, it quickly becomes apparent that the situation is not what it seems like on the surface. A dark family secret gradually begins to emerge, ensnaring mother and daughter in the drama.
The first hour of Raging Grace is excellent. Eigenmann gives a soulful performance, richly conveying the love Joy has for Grace, as well as the sheer terror she feels every day trying to keep them both afloat. Real power exists in how the movie portrays the immigrant experience, where Joy faces casual racism and white people who view her solely as a servant. Zarcilla also does something I’ve never seen before – combining horror elements with the style of a farce. Multiple times, Grace just barely exits a room as Katherine walks in. A scene in the home’s office finds the girl hiding around the various sides of a desk as Katherine moves throughout. The film is packed with those kinds of nail-biting near misses.
The last 40 minutes are where Raging Grace falters a little bit. We learn all about the secrets of Mr. Garrett’s family, which switches the focus away from Joy and Grace and toward him and Katherine. Too much exposition gets thrown at us too quickly, making the resolution mildly confusing. This is additionally the point where you can feel the movie hammering its message more overtly than is necessary.
Despite that caveat, Raging Grace certainly has a lot working in its favor. A strong central performance and relevant themes related to the hardships immigrants regularly confront will command your attention, even if the mystery at the center of the plot isn’t entirely satisfying.
Raging Grace is unrated, but contains violence and brief strong language. The running time is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
