Raging Grace

When I sat down to watch the 2023 movie "Raging Grace", I thought I was in for a horror movie. Truth be told, I had never actually heard about the movie prior to sitting down to watch it, but the synopsis sounded interesting enough, and it was labelled as a horror movie. So of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.

The storyline and narrative in "Raging Grace" was a bit of a swing and a miss. Sure, there were things in the script that seemed interesting enough, but the overall impression that director Paris Zarcilla left me with throughout the course of the 99 minutes that the movie ran for was a bland one.

There wasn't a whole lot happening throughout the course of the movie, and you need to go about 75 minutes into the movie before things actually start to take off. But nothing ever really happens, and the movie doesn't really take off. It was a rather anti-climatic viewing experience.

Writers Pancake Zarcilla and Paris Zarcilla didn't impress me with this 2023 movie. And it is a movie that will just quietly fade into oblivion and obscurity, because this is not a movie that will grace my screen a second time.

It was not because of the acting performances, not at all. Because the acting performances in the movie were good, and they definitely had some good actresses and actors on the cast list. I wasn't familiar with leading actress Max Eigenmann (playing Joy), but she really carried the movie quite nicely. And it certainly was nice to see actor David Hayman on the screen in his particular role and character.

"Raging Grace" is more of a thriller mystery than a horror movie. But calling it a thriller is actually stretching it a bit as well.

My rating of "Raging Grace" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.

I see a lot of people missing the point of the film by saying it disregards the topic of immigration. The director, Paris Zarcilla choose the horror genre having this issue in mind and in his heritage. There's a delightful play with tempo and rhythm in the film, as well as many details that have been carefully though of. The camerawork and editing give the movie a quality that is normally found in productions with larger budgets. It refuses to be a simple informative film about the topic of immigration that can be easily consumed, but rather opts for sudden jumpscares to allow the audience to feel the fright and uneasy situations immigrants have to go through. It reaches a subjective level and also has some beautifully symmetrical arrangements that give for a film with a couple of plot-twists.

I'm pretty picky about the films I like. I found this to be very original, interesting and somewhat believable. Perhaps some folks didn't like the illegal immigrant prevailing.......

The story of an illegal Filipino immigrant with a young daughter, other than the details of their home country and family, is all too familiar. As Gloria, the protagonist says: "We care for you when you're dying" as well as all of the other things like cooking, cleaning, assisting in intimate bathroom duties. Some readers will say, "Oh, I don't have anyone like that to take care of me". Think again about that Honduran roofer who stayed on your job from morning to night. Your Mexican yardman who does a far better job and cheaper than the "legal" services. Americans like to reap the benefits from illegals, yet they're ready to "build that wall". Make up your damned mind.

"Joy" (Max Eigenmann) is struggling to find work and bring up her young daughter "Grace" (Jaeden Paige Boadilla) in a Britain where she has no legal status. That sends her down the agency cleaning route where she arrives at the large home of "Katherine" (Leanne Best) who is looking after her bedridden elderly uncle "Garrett" (David Hayman). Now her new employer knows nothing of the daughter, even though her's is a live-in appointment. It's only when "Katherine" has to go away for a weekend leaving the elderly man - and his medication - in her care, that "Grace" can be herself a bit more and we start to realise that there's something fishy going on. Indeed, a mishap with the pills starts to enliven this hitherto husk of a man and we soon start to wonder if "Katherine" isn't up to no good. The enigmatic "Garrett" is clearly no saint either, and though he befriends the curious and friendly "Grace" with hot chocolate, it's increasingly clear that he too has an agenda - especially when her mother is rounded up by immigration officials. Most of this film is actually unremarkable, but the last half hour or so does liven it up a little as all of the characters start to come into play and the story begins to pick up some pace. Hayman delivers quite well, keeping us guessing for a while about the true nature of his character, but the rest of the acting and the writing are neither here nor there and there is much too much preamble. The denouement reminded me a little of something Edgar Wright might have delivered, but otherwise it's not really much more than an OK watch.

In 2023's "Raging Grace" we are introduced to an undocumented Filipina immigrant who was able to land a job as a care worker. She is working for a woman and her terminally ill uncle who doesn't speak or even react. She also brings a little secret to the job in form of her little daughter who she brings with her into the mansion without permission. She is happy with the job and only wants to secure a better life for her daughter and her but soon she uncovers some secrets and strange occurrences.

The movie has a pretty decent production value and the rather simple setup gets more complex and intriguing throughout. There are multiple twists and turns that give you a new perspective to look at characters and the way they are behaving. The movie deals with classism and immigration in an interesting though rather effortless way. The acting is pretty good especially from the young daughter who enters her rebellious phase not wanting to listen to her mother and doing her own thing. Overall it was a decent watch but the slow pacing and overall forgettable premise will only stick to some audiences. [5,2/10]