Encore Performance
Aug 01, 4:35 PM Salle J.A. De Sève
For tickets, please visit this link.
It’s tough to decide which movie title is better. Both Raging Grace or Raising Grace works in a this Filipino movie about Joy (Max Eigenmann) and her eponymous daughter (Jaeden Paige Boadilla), which this work focuses on. This work written and directed by Paris Zarcilla, transcends what we know as a mixed genre movie. I wasn’t sure where the story was going until in the middle of the second act.
Here, this woman from the Philippines is simply struggling to make ends meet. She doesn’t have her green card and her child can’t assist unless her employers look the other way. In her latest job, she’s hired by Katherine (Leanne Best) to be a caregiver. And while she claims she’s the niece of the homeowner, Mr. Garrett (nicely played by David Hayman), and what she’s not telling is cause for suspicion for the employee.
While the upkeep is easy enough for Joy to handle, Grace is bored. She can’t go outside, and nor can she make friends. Also, she’s required to hide since the boss isn’t aware of her existence. Eventually, this young girl will get noticed while she has the run of the house when no one is around. When she finds the old man’s bedroom, she’ll no doubt be asking questions. Furthermore, to see him at death’s door is lightly disturbing. Pretty soon, Joy takes it upon herself to put him on the mend and the switch from drama to Alfred Hitchcock type thriller gave me reason to keep watching.
I had to ask what Katherine was up to. This family is well off, and I immediately thought she wanted to kill him to inherit his money. Also, I’m curious about what this clan is famous for and why are the paintings are covered up. In whom they mask hint at something more sinister. And if I’m reading between the lines right, these former lords and ladies were slavers!
I made me think who is the better devil you know than one you don’t. Had the finale closed off at a different point, the story would’ve ended on a stronger note, but in the way it meanders back to revealing the world Joy left, the film ends on a cliffhanger. I needed to know why she’s come to a foreign country haphazardly, and this is a plot hole that needs answering. This tale isn’t finished at all, and according to the Screen Daily, this director wants to make a Rage trilogy. He’s already working on penning part two and that’s enough of a hook to have me staying tuned. There may be more to the immigration song than we realise.
3½ Stars out of 5
