Finally, a show set in Jamaica where Jamaica actually feels like Jamaica. Possession dNot just the beaches, scenery and postcard version of the island, but Jamaican actors speaking like Jamaicans, with the language, accents and mannerisms feeling natural rather than performed for an international audience. That authenticity immediately gave Possession something that a lot of productions set in the Caribbean seem to miss.
Cast & Production
The acting across the show was brilliant. Gugu Mbatha-Raw (@gugumbatharaw) was fantastic as Claudia and really carried the emotional weight of the story. But Sheldon Shepherd (@thedonshepherd) was the standout for me. It genuinely took me a while to realise the different roles he was playing, which probably says everything about how convincing he was. The changes in his mannerisms, presence and delivery made each feel like a completely different person rather than an actor simply changing costume.
Hats off to writer and creator Karla Crome (@karla_crome) too, because there is a lot going on in this story and it could easily have become messy. Somehow she manages to weave together horror, history, identity, slavery, colonialism and the supernatural without it feeling like the show is constantly trying to explain itself to you.
And a huge amount of credit has to go to Jamaican director Storm Saulter (@stormsaulter). His direction is a massive part of why the series feels as authentic as it does. Jamaica isn’t simply used as a pretty backdrop. You can feel the culture and history of the island throughout the show. Even visually, there is a real sense that the person behind the camera understands the place and how he wants us to experience it. Some of the imagery is beautiful, some deeply uncomfortable, and some genuinely eerie, but it all feels like part of the same world.
Review
What I really appreciated was how the supernatural story was used to dig into Jamaica’s past. The show doesn’t shy away from the brutality of plantation slavery or the treatment of enslaved Africans under British colonial rule. Some of it is uncomfortable to watch, as it should be, and it honestly doesn’t hold back. Or at least it holds back just enough to stop the show turning into a trauma fetish fest. There’s a difference between showing the horror of what happened and simply using Black suffering for shock value, and I thought Possession handled that balance extremely well.
Then there’s the supernatural side of the story, which I found genuinely engaging. It isn’t simply a case of throwing a ghost into an old plantation house and calling it horror. There are elements of African spirituality, folklore and beliefs running through the story, which makes everything feel connected to the history being explored. The supernatural elements actually have purpose.
That connection between the past and present is probably what I enjoyed most. The history isn’t just there as background information. It feels like it is still living and breathing within the characters, the land and everything happening around them.
Most importantly, Possession still remembers that it needs to entertain. There’s mystery, horror and enough going on across the five episodes to keep you invested without the historical side ever making it feel like you’re sitting through a lecture.
Summary
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Possession. It manages to tell an engaging supernatural story while confronting an extremely ugly part of Jamaica’s history, and does both without allowing one to overpower the other. Brilliant performances, strong writing, excellent direction and a Jamaican setting that actually feels Jamaican.
More of this please.
I grew up in the Blockbuster Video days, when picking a film meant judging the cover and hoping for the best. I’m not a critic by trade — I just call it how I see it, whether a film smashes it or falls flat on its face.
