Netflix really stepped their game up this year. From foreign films to indie horror. His House is a about a married couple that escaped South Sudan to seek refuge in London. It is full of jump scares and suspense. Don’t expect your typical monster movie. This narrative is told from the perspective of not one but two unreliable narrators. The protagonists, Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), are spectacular performers.
They rely more on nonverbal communication than dialogue. So when they spoke it had more impact. There’s a lot of depth to the story and a handful of subplots. The through line connecting them is guilt. Throw in a dilapidated house filled with ghosts and you got yourself a film, one with a unique lens. In Western culture, spirits normally pop up where they died. In His House, they explore the source of the paranormal activity and the characters are given a fatal ultimatum.
Many of my predictions were wrong. When I thought a jump scare would happen it didn’t. They were used sparingly and to great effect. The ghosts look sick as hell yo! It’s not common to see mutilated black bodies in Hollywood outside of a slave movie. So when the African corpse-like figures appear, its even more terrifying. I want to see more projects from Netflix that highlight other cultures and lore. His House is a surreal masterpiece and gets a 7 out of 10.
