Shot from the perspective of a ghostly presence, we see a family move into a new house. The daughter, Chloe (Callina Liang), is suffering from the loss of her two friends, who died mysteriously, with only her father Chris (Chris Sullivan) appearing sympathetic. In contrast, her mother Rebekah (Lucy Liu) is more concerned with the sporting achievements of Chloe’s brother Tyler (Eddy Maday). However, when Chloe starts noticing the ghost’s activity around the house, the whole family is forced to acknowledge not only her, but her past trauma, to which the ghost may be linked.
Soderbergh effectively uses a handheld camera to simulate the spectral perspective, gliding from room to room and enabling the viewers to observe the plot and character dynamics unfolding. Whilst there are many similarities to the Paranormal Activity franchise, in particular the decision to have the ghost’s powers manifest almost entirely as low key scares such as floating books and flickering lights, Soderbergh and writer David Koepp ensure that they are better executed. This is largely due to the performances he elicits from the central family, with Liang and Fox in particular impressing as Chloe and Chris, convincingly conveying their shared bond over their beliefs in the supernatural.
The family relationships are where Soderbergh and Koepp shine, as they make good use of the conflicts between the more assertive Tyler and Rebekah and the more sensitive Chloe and Chris concerning supernatural and non-supernatural issues. A revelation about the ghost’s nature midway through the film also provides effective foreshadowing about its identity without revealing anything too early for the audience.
However, the third act is what weakens the film as a whole, providing a clunky, overly-expository reason for the hauntings that would have been better left unexplained as well as an overly stylised performance that stands out from the otherwise naturalistic depictions from the rest of the cast. In addition, the ghost’s activity suddenly becomes plot-convenient, with its powers only being used at the appropriate moment to enable a narrative development. Zack Ryan‘s orchestral score, whilst providing an effective emotional accompaniment at times, can also be overly intrusive, with the overall effect of some sequences lessened by its inclusion.
These issues aside, Presence is an interesting experiment in horror from Soderbergh, a director whose previous genre variations (Haywire, Contagion) have always been worth seeing.
In cinemas nationwide now
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