Displaying items by tag: David Hayman

RAGING GRACE  

Philippines/UK, 2023, minutes, Colour.

Max Eigenmann, Jaden Paige Boadila, David Hayman, Leanne Best.

Directed by Paris Zarcilla.

No, not amazing grace, a raging grace.

The writer-director of this film is British born in London of Filipino parents. He had a successful career with music videos but, during the Covid lockdown, experienced exploitation of Filipino migrants who are a strong presence in the British workforce. The result was Raging Grace.

On the one hand, the film has a lot to say about Filipinos in Britain, their status, their trying to get citizenship, the financial burdens and payment of organises, getting jobs, domestic, being humiliated and treated as servants.

This is all present in this film but in the context of something of a Gothic horror, the central character, Joy, finding a job in a mansion, hiding her daughter Grace in the mansion, at the behest of Katherine, who is allegedly looking after her uncle who has lost his memory. In fact, she is poisoning him. Then, Joy makes a counter medicine and he recovers.

Which means that the film then looks as if it will have a happy and nice outcome, the old man wanting to be called grandpa and favouring Grace, Katherine losing her status…

But, that would be too nice for the social themes – the old man, who has happy memories of a Filipino nanny, emerges just as racist and domineering as anyone else, leading to confrontations and some ultimate mayhem.

Raging Grace received many very favourable reviews from critics.

1. The title, focus on the daughter rather than the mother? The anger, the raging?
2. Filipino production, British production? Filipino perspective: migrants, workers, class distinctions, visas?
3. The film as a psychological thriller, eerie, touches of the weird, touches of horror and imagination?
4. The captions and theme indications throughout the film?
5. Joy, her age, in England, her work, undocumented, with her daughter, her jobs and cleaning, the money for the visa and the harsh treatment of the agent, hiding her daughter in the accommodation? Pressures on her, the age of her daughter, telling her daughter her father was dead?
6. English middle and upper classes, attitudes, condescending?
7. The new job, going to the mansion, the encounter with Katherine, the sick uncle and his helplessness, the tasks, the accommodation, her return home, packing, hiding Grace, arrival, the large case, haul it upstairs, Grace to stay hidden? The various jobs, the cleaning of the house, the medication for the uncle? Katherine satisfied, going away for three days?
8. Grace, her age, character, teasing her mother, her frights, mixing up the drinks of the food, laughing? In the house, mischievous, the room, the bed? Visiting the uncle? Having to hide from Katherine? Her following Katherine and the sleepwalking, the discovery of the body? Suspicion about the pills and their size?
9. Activity during Katherine’s absence, the Filipino brew, feeding it to the uncle, his recovery, coming out of coma? His personality, his story about Gloria and the Philippines, living there, her coming to England? Saying Katherine was a fraud? The friendliness with Grace, getting Joy to call him Master? His revelation about Joy lying about Grace’s father?
10. The return, the confrontation with Katherine, her being injected, her dreams and torment? Grace and Katherine and the revelation about the body?
11. The range of nightmares and their visualisation throughout the film, for Joy, for Katherine?
12. The uncle, the truth about him, malevolent, the story of Gloria and his wanting her to stay, Joy reading her letters to her mother? The confrontations with Katherine, the financial issues and power of attorney, possession of the house?
13. The uncle and Grace, wanting her as a daughter, grandfather, his calling of the immigration officers, the arrival, the taking of Joy, Grace upset, wanting her mother, rejecting Grace?
14. The fire, Katherine and Grace, the rescue, the death of the uncle, the burning of the mansion?
15. Katherine, the disguises, meeting with Grace and Joy, the advice about immigration, finance, to confront the real father?
16. The effect of the final scene, Joy and Grace arriving at the house, asking to see Grace’s father?