An affluent couple gets more than they bargained for when they hire the daughter of their recently deceased housekeeper in The Domestic, a South African thriller that touches on issues of class, culture, and religion. 

Written and directed by Bradley Katzen, it stars Thuli Thabethe and Tumisho Masha as Kat and Tumi, whom we first meet at the funeral of their departed maid. It’s clear right from the get-go that there is an underlying, yet obvious discomfort felt by them and the religious ways of the service. It’s an interesting clash of old and new cultures, right down to the wardrobe differences between them and the other attendees. While Kat and Tumi appear in conventional funeral wear, they’re approached by those in traditional African clothing and accessories. This is an important theme for the film and is a crafty way to set the pace, both in writing and with the performances of Thabethe and Masha.

In the days that follow, we get a good sense of the lifestyle the couple leads, as well as their relationship. Their affluence and busy work lives are evident in everything from their home, to their vehicles and clothing, and even down to their way of speaking. The absence of their beloved maid weighs heavy and causes enough of an inconvenience that they prioritize finding a replacement, but with little luck. 

Faced with few options, they begrudgingly decided to give a trial run to the daughter of their former housekeeper, Blessing (Amanda Du-Pont), whom they had an awkward run-in with during the funeral. Kat immediately is wary, which, as we learn, is mostly due to Blessing’s beliefs in the “old ways” of African religion and culture. Kat, herself, harbors a secret she is desperate to keep under wraps – a supernatural connection to the very thing she admonishes and disagrees with. Soon after Blessing’s arrival, bizarre and unexplainable events begin to occur, threatening everything that Kat and Thumi hold close.

The Domestic pulls back the curtain on several subject matters many know little about and handles them all with scrupulous care and respect. This isn’t a sensationalization of cultures that could border on indecency, but instead is more of a focused lens on the varying ways of life within a country. There’s a clear division of class and status in South Africa, as well as a stark contrast between Christianity and the other, more tribal religions, and it’s an intriguing study of the precarious balance between them all. There’s never a moment where it feels as if there’s a statement being made by the filmmakers. This is simply a unique story told from a seemingly unbiased viewpoint, that also manages to provide thoroughly chilling horror elements.

The performances of the three leads are one of the strongest points that anchor the film. They deliver convincing, magnetic portrayals of their characters, all of whom have distinct differences between them. Thabethe is one of those actors who say as much with her expressions and body language as she does her spoken words, making her plight and skepticism palpable. Du-Pont, for her part, toggles between inciting both sympathy and fright from the audience, giving us a character who appears equal parts well-meaning and malicious. 

Cinematographer Motheo Moeng offers up plenty of expertly tight shots during moments of tension, and eye-catching camera work that zooms in and out of focus during all the right scenes. For a story that is centered primarily in one location, you still very much get the sense of the native elements that play so importantly into the plot.

This is a movie that starts off as a slow burn, dropping tidbits of mystery and paranoia-laden dread, but then accelerates (almost too) quickly during the last act, leaving the viewer in dizzying disarray. The rather abrupt wrap-up ends up feeling partially out of sorts, but when weighed against the overall commentary and chill factor of the rest of the film, this remains a solid and compelling peek at what happens when different cultures collide. 

7 Out Of 10