As violent spirits are unleashed in Sky’s Possession, observers see confident creatives reclaiming the island’s narratives in a form of cultural reparation.
A Pivotal Scene
A woman opens a 300-year-old box, unleashing a violent spirit – it is the spirit of colonialism and oppression roaring back to life. This scene symbolizes a wider shift in Jamaica’s film industry, where directors are increasingly using the landscape to tell Jamaican stories, including those that confront enslavement, trauma, and historical memory.
The Story of Possession
The series follows a biracial British lawyer who travels to Jamaica to investigate a multimillion-pound inheritance dispute, only to uncover a dark, vengeful spirit tied to the plantation’s brutal colonial past. For Jamaican director Storm Saulter, ensuring that the trauma and enduring legacy of enslavement and colonization were powerfully represented was critical.
Calls for Reparations
Caribbean countries are increasingly arguing that centuries of enslavement have left the region at a lasting disadvantage, fueling renewed calls for reparations. Dr. Lisa Tomlinson, a lecturer in film studies at the University of the West Indies, notes that the themes in Jamaican films are changing.
““They’re now very much connected and reflective of Jamaican stories – stories that were previously taboo or avoided.”
While Jamaican films are not always explicitly about reparations, many 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.”
Cultural Reparation
This, she argues, is a form of cultural reparation, a reclaiming of narratives devalued or suppressed under colonialism, and a way of educating audiences about the past in ways that academics or politicians struggle to do.
““The arts play a critical role in how we are educated in public awareness around reparation,” she adds.
