Entertainment
Jamaican Filmmakers Use Supernatural Drama to Reclaim Enslavement History
In Sky’s supernatural series *Possession*, a woman opens a 300‑year‑old box, releasing a violent spirit that represents colonialism and oppression. The scene is a key moment in the show, which follows a biracial British lawyer who travels to Jamaica to investigate a multimillion‑pound inheritance dispute and discovers a vengeful spirit tied to the plantation’s brutal colonial past.
Director Storm Saulter says it was essential to portray the trauma and lasting legacy of enslavement and colonisation powerfully. Caribbean countries argue that centuries of enslavement have left the region at a lasting disadvantage, fueling renewed calls for reparations. Dr Lisa Tomlinson, a film‑studies lecturer at the University of the West Indies, notes that Jamaican films are increasingly connected to stories that were previously taboo or avoided. While not always explicitly about reparations, many films engage with the legacies of enslavement through cultural memory. "Reparation is not just a political act," she says. "It’s also culture. These African‑derived spiritualities, the historical knowledge – when they come through creative expression, what they do is give us authority to tell our own stories." She calls this a form of "cultural reparation", a reclaiming of narratives devalued or suppressed under colonialism, and a way of educating audiences about the past.
Jamaica’s film commissioner, Jacqueline Jackson, observes a shift toward local production and international collaboration. "We are well established as a destination for international productions," she says, but wants to see more local stories told. Productions such as *Possession* and Delroy Lindo’s *Jabari’s People*, shot entirely in Jamaica, worked closely with Jamaican talent to ensure authenticity and demonstrate what is possible when international financing and distribution unite with Jamaican creativity.
Tomlinson believes diaspora filmmakers are especially important in this shift. Unlike foreign productions that often use Jamaica as an exotic backdrop, diaspora directors are "moving away from the tourist‑gaze depictions" and are "capturing Jamaican everyday life".
Saulter sees his series as part of a broader political awakening. "The mask has slipped … We’ve been told it’s one thing, and that thing is proven to be false. So there’s a seeking of what is true," he says. He describes the box‑opening scene as a metaphor for the resurfacing of long‑suppressed histories and the growing willingness among Caribbean creatives to confront the legacies of enslavement, inherited trauma and colonial violence through film. "Literally, we’re going to open up the lid of a 300‑year‑old horrible secret," Saulter said. "It’s the spirit of colonial enslavement and oppression coming roaring back."
The spirit is embodied in a character who has lived through centuries of brutality – a witness to history – whose presence forces the protagonists to reckon with the past they have inherited. Saulter’s interest in the subject stems from his upbringing in the countryside, where he experienced the Obia man, the church and nine nights of ritual. These experiences inspired him to tell stories that educate and have "real societal political impact", while remaining thrilling, intriguing and entertaining.
For Dr L’Antoinette Stines, a Yoruba priestess and cultural expert who advised on *Possession*, the series’ engagement with Afro‑spiritualist traditions is part of a longer history of resistance. "Black people have been fighting and using the arts for a very long time. It’s just that there is greater attention on it today," she says. She has choreographed similar work for decades and stresses the importance of honouring the academics, poets and creatives who paved the way for today’s boom in authentic Jamaican storytelling. She praises Saulter’s insistence on authenticity and creating a series that feels both contemporary and deeply rooted, exploring inherited trauma, ancestral memory and the unfinished business of colonialism.