Raging Grace was all the talk at SXSW as it went on to win the Grand Jury Award. The film explores an immigrant mother, Joy, as she tries to build a better life while also hiding her immigrant status.

Without any support, Joy juggles hiding her daughter Grace while working housekeeping jobs. Grace is definitely a handful, messing with Joy’s employers by stealing prescription pills and messing with their coffee machines. Despite her frustration with her daughter, Joy loves her and continues to do her best to improve their lives. While checking in on an elderly man for her friend, Joy meets the man’s niece, Katherine. Katherine offers her a job at her uncle’s home who is in a coma-like stage. While Katherine offers Joy more money than she could imagine, the excitement is tainted as dark secrets begin to unravel.

Director Paris Zarcilla successfully creates an atmosphere that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The moments of tension work so well here with a compelling story of a mother just trying to do what she can. The movie isn’t a full-on horror, but the moments it dives into this territory are really effective. The use of hallucinations and dreams is a big thing in the film and give it almost an otherworldly experience. However, the true evil is in reality with the trials and turbulations immigrants face in a new country.

The performances from the actors also are very effective as some of them take a complete 180 throughout. You see them tranform into completely new characters, almost tricking you. The twists and turns the story takes are really fascinating and keep you glued to the screen to see what’s next. Overall, the story is effective at keeping you engaged with some frightening visuals to keep you on your toes.

Raging Grace had a lot going for it, but I feel the finale felt like a race to the end with the sharp turns it takes. It feels like they wanted to wrap up quickly and the story loses its steam. In the end, the movie is worth checking out for its touching story and twisted secrets it hides. An incredible feature from Paris Zarcilla that has us excited for their next project.

We give Raging Grace a 4/5.