His House

“His House” is Remi Weekes’ first feature film, released on October 30, 2020 on Netflix. In this movie, we follow a young South Sudanese couple, who just landed in England after a chaotic sea crossing in which they lost their daughter.

In this couple, we find Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) and Bol (Sope Dirisu). First of all, they will be confronted to an unfriendly English administration. Who warns them about their behavior, they will have to be irreproachable if they want to stay on the territory. They must be among the “good ones” according to Mark, the caseworker played by Matt
Smith.

Nevertheless, they move into a large, but incredibly dirty, unsanitary house with holes in the walls and unusable lights. Their new neighborhood seems very hostile towards them, the locals do not seem to appreciate their presence. Every time they go out ,we fear a bad encounter, especially for Rial who is not very comfortable with the idea of going out.

But, this fear of men is quickly replaced by another fear, which appears as a result of worrying events inside the house. This second part of the movie is very different from the first, less realistic but much more terrifying. Indeed, it takes us into the intimacy and the painful past of the couple.

Throughout the film, the performance of Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku is perfect, it allows us to really get attached to the character and to care about their fate.

Bol begins to hear noises in the walls, as if someone was moving inside. From that point on, Bol’s behavior deteriorates and he slowly dives into madness, he begins to destroy the walls, looking for the one who is tormenting him. Rial also witnesses these strange phenomena, but has a totally different interpretation, much more related to his culture and his past.

This difference between the two lovers is an important part of the film. On one side Bol whose identity is gradually being erased in the hope of starting a new life. On the other side, Rial remains attached to his culture and doesn’t seem ready for all these changes.

They are both going to be victims of these hallucinations. During these, the camera effects and the fantastics shots will be very relevant and interesting. These horrific hallucinations refer to the traumas they have suffered, from the loss of their daughter in the sea to the massacre of their village and of their friends.

Thanks to these hallucinations we will be able to understand the true story around their lost daughter. This will allow us to better grasp the different reactions of both of them but also to understand the feeling of guilt that will follow them forever. Throughout the film, this feeling of guilt will be used by the thing which torments them. Or it’s maybe this feeling that created this thing, like a purgatory.

As in Jordan Peele’s “Get Out”, this movie uses societal elements, social drama, as a backdrop for a horror film and it works very well. It can also be associated with the recent “Relic” in which we also find a meaningful horror
linked to pain and sorrow.