Exorcising the Plantation

For decades, international cinema treated Jamaica as little more than a sun-drenched backdrop for jet-set escapism and exoticized thrillers. The reality of the island's history—steeped in centuries of plantation slavery and colonial exploitation—was systematically pushed beyond the frame. That narrative monopoly is now fraying as local filmmakers and diaspora directors leverage foreign capital to tell far darker, more confrontational stories.

At the center of this quiet pivot is Sky’s supernatural drama Possession, directed by Jamaican filmmaker Storm Saulter. The narrative follows a biracial lawyer traveling from Bristol to Jamaica to resolve a multimillion-pound estate dispute tied to an old plantation, only to trigger a vengeful, ancient entity. It is an unvarnished metaphor: an opened box unleashing a three-hundred-year-old spirit of oppression that demands a reckoning with inherited trauma.

What makes this artistic movement intriguing is its dual nature as both commercial enterprise and historical audit. Film scholars like Lisa Tomlinson at the University of the West Indies view these developments as a form of cultural reparation. Rather than relying on rigid academic panels or political rhetoric, these productions deploy Afro-spiritualist traditions and local history to engage audiences on an emotional level. In doing so, local creatives claim the authority to dictate how their past is framed.

This shift is not occurring in a vacuum. Jamaica's Film Commissioner, Jacqueline Jackson, notes that projects shot entirely on the island—such as Delroy Lindo’s directorial debut Jabari’s People alongside Saulter’s series—demonstrate a rising confidence among local industry talent. The goal is no longer merely hosting foreign crews looking for picturesque beaches, but forging international partnerships that elevate native perspectives to global platforms.

Yet beneath the cinematic gloss lies an uncomfortable economic truth. As Caribbean governments intensify calls for financial and political reparations from former colonial powers, the entertainment industry has discovered that historical trauma makes for compelling, marketable television. Cultural expert L'Antoinette Stines highlights that Black artists have used spiritual and artistic traditions as resistance for generations; the difference today is that global streaming platforms are finally paying attention.

Whether these screen portrayals translate into tangible political leverage or remain profitable entertainment, Jamaican storytellers are forcing global audiences to look past the resort gates. By putting colonial violence and ancestral memory at center stage, they ensure that the island's past can no longer be conveniently edited out of its present.

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com