Raging Grace

This is a slightly edited review of the one that was first published after Raging Grace's screening at London FrightFest 2023.

Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla) is a very naughty girl, a brat in fact. Which is not what her struggling mother Joy (Max Eigenmann) needs as an undocumented Filipino cleaner trying to get her papers through dodgy means and nefarious characters. Going from menial job to menial job saving money that’s never enough as the crooked rats increase the costs and time runs down.

That is until Joy gets a live-in job at a large rundown house looking after Mr Garrett (David Hayman) who is dying in his bed, with the only person administering his medicine being his niece Katherine (Leanne Best). A problem arises with Grace as Joy hasn’t let on that she has a daughter. So Grace is smuggled into the house in a huge suitcase and then forced to sleep in a wardrobe.

Naturally, this isn’t going to satisfy an inquisitive mind like Grace’s who explores the house and in a terrifically tense sequence just about avoids getting her mother into trouble with Katherine. What she does discover is that Mr Garrett isn’t being looked after very well and when Katherine leaves for a few days Joy and Grace set about using traditional medicine on Mr Garrett.

This revives Garrett who sets about once again becoming lord of the manor and the tone is set when he informs Joy he prefers to be called Master Garrett and about his familiarity with Filipino customs and the people.

Light on any real tension or out and out horror (apart from some tampering with Katherine’s beauty products by Grace) Raging Grace works on a much more psychological level as Garrett’s grotesque past and character develop. Its concisely plotted by writer and director Paris Zarcilla who clearly has and ear for dialogue, which the cast make the best of, and which Hayman in particular relishes, though thankfully avoids overkill.

Having said that Zarcilla isn’t subtle when taking on colonialism, racism and the effects of empire on indigenous peoples. And while not exactly a turn off the only character that anyone could really have any empathy with is Joy, Grace while coming good at the end is hard to warm to for most of the movie. All that said it’s a solid debut that contains plenty to think about.

Raging Grace will be released in UK cinemas and online platforms from 29 December 2023