BARE BONES: HIS HOUSE (2020)

HIS HOUSE (2020)

Supernatural chiller finds Sudanese refugees Boi (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) seeking asylum in England. They are put on probation and sent to live in a small, decrepit house in a London ghetto. Still grieving over loosing their daughter (Malaika Abigaba) durning their harrowing escape, the couple now face harsh guidelines set by the British government, racism, prejudice and the struggle of assimilating without loosing their culture. Worse still, there is a malevolent entity in the house with them and Boi is determined to keep his new home at any cost.   

Film is written and directed by Remi Weekes and while the tropes are familiar, the perspective is not. The supernatural elements are steeped in Sudanese culture and are quite effective. It can be spooky at times and it’s messages about racism and the plight of refugees is subtly woven into the story. We also get some surprising reveals as to what this African spirit, called an apeth, wants and why it is there, along with some solid drama with the conflict between the eager to assimilate Boi and the reluctant Rial. The cast, which also includes Matt Smith (Dr. Who) as their case worker, are all very good and the visuals and FX are effective, with Javier Botet performing one of the entities. Flick is currently streaming on Netflix.

-MonsterZero NJ