Movie Review: “Good Madam” Now Streaming on Shudder
“Good Madam” 2021, 92min runtime
Directed by Jenna Cato Bass
Now streaming on Shudder
I was blessed to receive a screener of this from Shudder for consideration, and I am truly at a loss for words. Much like “His House,” this movie explores a very specific experience of socio-political dynamic of the African people, and leverages the terror of being “othered” in your own home (in this case, home country and household, not necessarily immigrant experience as is the former). It touches on issues of intergenerational trauma, shifts in daily life and tradition, the echoes of trauma in a post-apartheid South Africa, and the resulting tensions between white Africans and Black Africans. This is yet another movie that I feel unqualified to analyze, being as I am but a white American outsider looking in on another country, culture, and social dynamic. I do still wish to leave a short review, but note that I am not sure that I can properly convey the emotional response this movie elicits or that I’ve fully experienced all that it has to offer on a singular watch. It’s a slow burn start, but the increasing sense of dread moved the story along bit by bit, scrub noise by scrub noise, bell ring by bell ring. The sound design and effects are a vital part of this movie’s poetry and whew! Every scrape, scratch, clink, ring, and breath increases the sense of discomfort and mounting dread. It’s an inescapable, destructive rhythm of routine and employed as a coping mechanism for processing and mask hiding grief, loss, trauma, and anger.
The cinematography is stunning and its golden, sepia tinged color cast creates a simultaneous sense of warmth and discomfort. It works well for the forbidding sense of dread the characters feel, being displaced and houseless, especially highlighting the discomfort of feeling unwelcome and lack of “home” in someone else’s house. And it raises a lot of questions about identity, belonging, and inclusion:Where do you belong? Can you choose your family? What defines love? What defines a home? Who is the true “unwelcome guest” here? What creates a family? It’s poignant and thoughtful, but also extremely fraught with anxiety.
The performances are nuanced, empathetic, wholly believable, and extremely emotional; it is impossible not to be pulled into their world and haunted by it, leaving you to feel as much of a ghost as the ones within these haunted walls. It’s an exquisite movie with high artistic vision and an expertly crafted psychological thriller and unconventional ghost story.
While it won’t necessarily be a home run for all horror fans, those seeking a refreshing perspective outside of the typical American fare, and looking to experience different methods and cadence in storytelling will really enjoy it. I am fascinated by global horror stories, and how non-American cinema truly pushes the envelope of horror as an art form. It’s intriguing to explore the many regional influences on storytelling, and just how much of its structure is socially and culturally rooted. I find that many if not most of the so-called “foreign” horror films (Foreign to whom, really? It’s a weird genre category that makes me uncomfortable to be quite frank. It’s only “foreign” if you’re interested in centering North America and UK as “domestic” because it’s often English dominated film festivals/awards) have more depth and purpose to them, instead of being an empty gore fest with instant gratification. Non-American fare that reaches our market tends to focus on more personal and emotional notes. There is always an intangible element to these films that I find leaves me wanting, but in a good way; I want to gain a better understanding of the way other people live, love, hurt, grow, etc. And in this way, horror becomes one of the most empathetic genres for this type of cinematic education.
Although many people class art as an “unnecessary luxury,” films like “Good Madam” or “His House” or the ever-popular Korean films “Parasite” or “Train to Busan” (just to name a few of my faves) are absolutely vital to building empathy and meaningful connections with other countries and individuals. It is a necessity for processing the human experience. I always appreciate a movie that pushes me to seek further understanding through research and reading other perspectives outside my own, and I feel that I must do exactly that to fully process all that is weighing on this movie. I encourage folks to take a gamble and try something outside their comfort zone like “Good Madam” here, and perhaps expand your viewpoint and learn something new.
Thank you to Shudder for allowing me to preview this film and I highly recommend it.
Review by Ellen Avigliano
Twitter: @imaginariumartz
