[Fantasia ’23] Another Take: ‘Raging Grace’ is a flawed but powerful watch

After winning the Grand Jury award for Best Narrative Feature at this year’s SXSW, Raging Grace continues its festival run at the Fantasia Film Festival. Joy (Maxine Eigenmann) is an undocumented Filipino who is becoming increasingly desperate. Her visa has expired and she is short on cash. When  suddenly offered an opportunity for work that will pay her a large weekly wage, she leaps at the chance. It is not long before Joy learns the house harbors a dark secret and she  and her daughter’s lives are at stake.

Raging Grace has a jump scare in the opening moments that is a harbinger of things to come. Sound is an important part of the film. In particular. Music is constantly used to keep the audience on edge as the score often cuts into moments of silence and lingers to create tension.

Joy’s daughter Grace (Jaeden Paige Boadilla) is a constant source of unease. Her love of pranks means she often appears unexpectedly. The fact that she is hiding from Joy’s employer Katherine (Leanne Best) leads to many tense close calls. Things continue to escalate as Raging Grace moves forward. What starts as a gothic thriller tackles themes of colonialism and privilege. This leads to some impactful moments including the introduction of a new character who longs for a different time. 

There is a darkness found in these scenes that are as sickening as they are frightening. The plot loses strays from the path a little during the third act. There are some unexplained decisions and  Raging Grace rushes towards its ending in a manner that goes against the patient pacing seen earlier. However, the final line is a powerful one that pulls the whole story together.

The Fantasia International Film Festival takes place from July 20 – August 9. Fantasia, news, tickets, and films can be found HERE