Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s new thriller, “Possession,” blends supernatural mystery, horror, and magical realism to explore the enduring legacy of colonialism and slavery.
Set in Jamaica, the five-part mini-series examines how the injustices of the past continue to shape lives in the present.
Claudia (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), an ambitious young mixed-race lawyer, travels to Jamaica to represent Oliver Connaught (Jonny Lee Miller).
The wealthy white aristocrat is contesting his late father’s will after the vast family estate is left to a local man, Cudjoe East (Sheldon Shepherd).
But the case takes a disturbing turn when Claudia discovers that the disputed property is Hope Hill – the Connaught family’s former plantation and the same place that has long haunted her nightmares.
The thriller is set in two different time periods: the present day and the 1760s, with Bel Powley as the plantation owner’s daughter, Charlotte.
Shepherd plays dual roles, as Cudjoe East is the birth name of Matthew, an enslaved man and illegitimate child of the plantation owner.
The series is told through Jamaican eyes and directed by Storm Saulter, who comes from the island.
“Filming in Jamaica was super important and being on the land and having the history there and present in front of us,” writer Karla Crome said.
“It’s important to consider as well the UK’s relationship with Jamaica so it could have only been told there.”
The primary location is a real plantation owner’s house, and the cast felt the weight of history during shooting.
“Just driving up to that house for the first time knowing that it wasn’t a set, it was a real house, there was real history in that soil – you know, it was chilling in a way, but I think it also gave us a real sense of grounded authenticity,” said Mbatha-Raw, who also acts as executive producer on the series.
“I felt the energy of the times,” said Shepherd. “I felt a welcoming spirit, a welcoming vibration while we were in that house. I didn’t feel scared. Some people felt scared. Some people would tell you that they saw things, but I felt as if I was being ushered in to do a particular job and I was protected, in essence.”
Mbatha-Raw’s character Claudia has to face supernatural forces, terrifying nightmares – and being buried under the floorboards of the plantation house.
“There were days on this, you know, shoot where definitely I felt incredibly drained from simulating these psychological, deep, dark places that you have to go to,” she said.
“When I’m in the ground in a grave or under the floorboards, these things that sound terrifying, I think I always had in mind the journey… knowing that it’s worth it, it’s worth going through that because what you’re trying to say and the conversation you’re trying to open up is bigger than you.”
“Possession” will premiere on Sky on 6 August 2026.
Credit: Africa News
