Presence: Film Review
I have to hand it to Steven Soderbergh – Presence offers a completely fresh take on the ghost story simply by shooting it in an experimental way.
This supernatural thriller follows a family – Rebecca (Lucy Liu), Chris (Chris Sullivan), Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday) – as they move into a new home. Liu may be the big name here but the story revolves around Chloe, who is mourning the death of her best friend Nadia. She feels a presence in the house and wonders if it is Nadia watching over her. But is it?
The film is uniquely shot from the spirit’s perspective. The presence is already in the house when the family moves in and it follows them around, listens to their conversations and hides out in Chloe’s closet. It’s like a fly on the wall to their family drama (and there’s plenty of it). After a while, it becomes less of an observer and more proactive in protecting Chloe. The big mystery throughout the movie is the identity of the spirit and we are kept guessing right up until the very end.
After years of seeing people staring into a void because they sense a presence, it was satisfying to see those moments from the ghost’s perspective. However, the camera movements (operated by Soderbergh himself) can be disorientating at times because it moves quickly, whizzes through rooms and zooms up and down the stairs. It’s more controlled than a found footage film but it still takes a moment to get used to its unusual movements. There are some cool long takes too and this makes it feel like an immersive experience.
While I liked the concept, the shooting style and the interesting family drama, I had issues with a few things. It wasn’t particularly well written – a mystery surrounding Rebecca’s work is never resolved, the dialogue is iffy and the climactic moment happens so quickly that I was like, “Oh, is that it?” After much buildup and tension, it was over in the blink of an eye and I felt short-changed.
In particular, Tyler’s new friend Ryan (West Mulholland) is written very poorly and the acting is unconvincing as a result. He is given too many lines that essentially amount to nothing. Everyone else’s characterisation is good though. Rebecca is a dodgy businesswoman, Tyler is an A-hole but her golden boy, and Chris is desperately trying to keep his family together. It’s a shame Liu didn’t get more to do but it’s Chloe’s story. Also, don’t be fooled by the Julia Fox mention in the credits; she’s in it for two minutes!
Fans hoping for a scary horror may be disappointed that this is more of a family drama with a supernatural angle. I appreciated Soderbergh’s creativity and experimentation with the craft here but it needed a better script to truly do it justice.
In cinemas from Friday 24th January
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
