History has an ugly way of repeating itself. No matter how much individuals fight against it, negative patterns emerge that seem all too familiar for those observant enough to notice. South Africa has had much of this in its past, with Apartheid still casting a dark shadow over the zeitgeist of the country. In Jenna Cato Bass’s Good Madam, we see the literal ghost of this dark time in South Africa’s past haunting individuals trying to move on, and it’s an eye-opening allegory to what the nation continuously endures.
Tsidi (Chumisa Cosa) is a woman in a hard predicament. She is a single mother who is forced to find a new home when her grandmother passes away and the home they lived in together is usurped by other family members. Her estranged mother Mavis (Nosipho Mtebe) is a domestic worker devoted to the care of an ill woman she refers to as “Madam.” Running out of options, Tsidi and her daughter Winnie (Kamvalethu Jonas Raziya) move in with her mother and Tsidi becomes entangled in an unsettling, obsessive relationship Mavis has with Madam. Tsidi soon begins to experience supernatural occurrences at the home, and she realizes the truth behind Madam is far stranger than she even realized.
Good Madam presents understated psychological horroramplified by sound design. While there are few overt scares, the well-crafted atmospheric sounds of the film constantly suggest something is amiss and a malevolence is ever-present at Madam’s home. These noises play a strong role in putting viewers into the right mindset to empathize with what Tsidi is experiencing, and in a way, they feel like an antagonist in the film. They are an embodiment of Madam’s overbearing presence in the household despite her being catatonic and work especially well here.
Another standout aspect of the film is how authentic all of the actors and situations come across — so much so that there is a voyeuristic quality about certain scenes. This is in part because much of the dialogue in the film was improvised and Nosipho Mtebe is a domestic worker in real life. There is a rawness about the family’s struggles and situation which nicely spotlights the messages the film conveys. This strong cast is on a mission, and they have a conviction that makes the metaphorical elements of this story more palpable.
While Madam herself is a sinister presence in the film, what she represents is far more poignant. Mavis feels forever committed to servitude for Madam no matter how much anyone tells her to move past it, echoing the enduring effect of overt discrimination that happened during Apartheid. While Tsidi is trying her best to remove herself from this influence, it is luring her in as well. Combined with the racial divide here is an exploration of gender that draws attention to the fact that many women in South Africa are still treated as second-class citizens: Tsidiessentially loses her previous home to her male family members and she has no say in it. The film often seems more committed to driving its message across than presenting a horror film, but the truth lying underneath the terror is far more disturbing than any horror imagery it presents.
Good Madam is a film that explores the haunting presence of deep-rooted societal trauma and fully succeeds in this regard. While there is a persistent subtlety that might not resonate with every filmgoer, it is a worthy exploration of modern South African culture presented in a fresh manner that both intrigues and repels.
—Andrea Riley