Presence - New Release Review
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Callina Liang, Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland
Written by: David Keopp
Produced by: Julie M. Anderson
Cinematography by: Steven Soderbergh
Original Score by: Zack Ryan
Synopsis:
A family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.
Thoughts:
Steven Soderbergh is a bit hit and miss for me. There's no doubt he is a fantastic Director who knows his craft inside out but, with a bunch of exceptions of course, his films have often left me feeling indifferent. Surely one of the busiest filmmakers in Hollywood over the last 3 decades or so, Soderbergh seems to effortless smash out an ecclectic mix of star studded Oscar contenders and low-fi, edgy "smaller" films. 'Presence' is definitely one his most intriguing films in years.
Conceptually very original, 'Presence' is a haunted house ghost story, made unique by the fact that it unfolds through the POV of the actual ghost present in the house. Everything we see on-screen is from the perspective of the spectre, which we NEVER see.
First off, WOW! What a cool and envisioning way to tell your story and one of the unmistaken positives from the film is the beautiful camera movements that Soderbergh uses throughout to capture the aura of the "presence" from the moment the new family survey their new home. There's a playfulness to the camera movements, floating from room to room, eavesdropping on random conversations, giving us little droplets of information about our characters. And these sequences all seem to be one long continuous shot then a fade to black. There's no cuts in between. This made for a deeply immersive viewing experience.
Lucy Liu is the Mother of the family. An extremely professional woman presumably in a high paying job who we find out is hiding some legal baggage from her husband and kids. She also has a strange bond with her son Tyler. It's hard to explain but it doesn't come across as maternal. Tyler (Eddy Maday) is a budding athlete with a boisterous personality while his sister Chloe (Callina Liang) is more muted. And for good reason too. Chloe is still grieving for her friend who recently died from a drug overdose. Chris, the Father of the family has a closer relationship with Chloe but he seems to be struggling too. There's tension brewing and the elastic band is about to snap very soon.
This is much more than just a gimmick film but those going in to this expecting alot of scares will be very disappointed. It has an eeriness to it. It's unsettling and I definitely felt my anxiety being heightened by the intrusive camera work. Sadly, despite being very impressive technically with sharp performances from all 4 of the main cast, the film left me dissatisfied. I was never bored but it's difficult to not feel underwhelmed by the entire experience.
Maybe it's a film that warrants multiple viewings to fully appreciate it's power. It's certainly suspenseful at times and the surprising twist adds an extra level of intrigue. Zack Ryan's score also adds a bit of colour and depth to the piece. Callina Liang is wonderful to watch but even though they give good turns the other characters felt too hollow to care about either way. And that house was absolutely gorgeous inside. Very jealous of their kitchen.
As an experiment I think 'Presence' is mostly quite effective. If you look deep enough you might find this to be a exploration of grief and trauma and dishonesty but with that being said David Keopp's script is crying out for more creepiness and less ambiguity from the ghostly watcher. It builds up adequately but it struggles to maintain it's pace with any real efficiency.
Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
-Gavin Logan
'Presence' is released in UK/Irish cinemas on January 24th