#POLISH PREMIERE | fear and terror | the Philippines | cleaning | class discrimination | gothic | illegal immigrants | english mansion | old guy | family | mystery | scary | terrifying | disturbing | suspenseful

RAGING GRACE

horror, drama | Great Britain | 2023
World premiere: SXSW South by Southwest 2023
Polish premiere: Splat!FilmFest

A MODERN TRIBUTE TO GOTHIC HORROR

Joy is an illegal immigrant from the Philippines. What she does for a living is mainly cleaning other people’s houses, which she could never afford. She always takes her little naughty daughter, Grace, along with her to work. Although “sneak” would be a better word, as they have nowhere to live and they have to squat in their clients’ houses when they are out. However, one day, the life of Joy and Grace is about to do a full one-eighty — the mother lands a job at an English mansion which looks as if taken straight from a gothic novel. A part of Joy’s work is to take care of her

employer’s uncle who is terminally ill. However, Grace starts to suspect that instead of being ill he is being gradually poisoned by somebody.

Raging Grace is a solid vintage horror, but in no way is it old-fashioned. The plot is situated mainly in the gloomy chambers of the mansion, which certainly have seen better days. At the same time, Paris Zacilla’s picture makes clear references to the classic horror novels and neatly weaves in some allusions to the work of Henry James, Sheridan Le Fanu and other spine-chilling literature writers. In the film, you will encounter some brilliant plot twists and unexpected moments of true terror, as Raging Grace doesn’t rush the gradually rising feeling of suspense. But between the lines, the film is also a social commentary on the difficult situation of illegal and mostly unnoticed immigrants.

The story of Joy and Grace marks Zarcilla’s feature directorial debut. Raging Grace already boasts a shelf full of awards, among which the one received during SXSW Film & TV Festival. Aside from the excellent suspense build-up, one of the film’s assets is certainly the role play. Zarcilla led his extremely skilled cast members, who definitely put their heart in the job. Among them, Max Eigenmann impersonating Joy and having already shown her outstanding craftsmanship in well-received Verdict and 12 weeks; Jaeden Paige Boadilla in her acting debut as Grace; and in the background roles the old British cinema nerds will certainly recognise David Hayman from Taboo TV series; or Leanne Best, who will probably ring a bell for any horror fan as she was cast for the titular role of Angel of Death.

directed by: Paris Zarcilla screenplay: Paris Zarcilla
cast: Max Eigenmann, Jaeden Paige Boadilla, David Hayman, Leanne Best
cinematography: Joel Honeywell
music: Jon Clarke
editing: Christopher C.F., Chow
langugae: English, Tagalog
subtitles: Polish, English
duration: 1h 39min
recommended age: 16+