PRESENCE

TIFF 24 REVIEW BY: KURT MORRISON

DATE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

RATING: 3 out of 5

As a film fan, when the name Steven Soderbergh is attached to ANYTHING, it will always get my attention. The poster for Presence even exploits that perfectly, slapping such names of films onto the poster as Erin Brockovich, Out of Sight, Traffic, Magic Mike and one of my all-time favourites, Oceans 11. Horror is something Soderbergh has never really explored - and no, Unsane is not a horror move, folks. So to say that my excitement for Presence was sky-high is an understatement.

Written by David Koepp - the man behind Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, the OG Tobey 2002 Spider-Man - his approach to the film is not one of a horror film, but more of a family based suspense film. Presence takes a simple premise that Koepp has used numerous times - family X after something traumatic tries to piece together their relationships during something unexplainable. But Koepp subverts expectations by challenging normal haunted house norms and cliches. Now this isn’t a bad thing, but Presence is not what you think it is. It is not filled with jump scares, nor is it filled with anything remotely scary. Not one moment. It is the slowest of slow burns, and for a film that does feature some great camerawork and sound design, it is crazy to me that the weakest part of the entire film is Koepp’s script.

I went into this expecting a very ominous horror film, not necessarily on the level of The Conjuring or Insidious. But I really wanted to feel a good scare at 9 o’clock in the morning. Sadly, this wasn’t the case because it is barebones in terms of scares, ghosts or ghouls.

I think Presence will end up being one of those films that becomes a critical darling, but very disliked by the general population for this exact reason. It is being marketed for its January release as a horror movie, yet when audiences end up getting a taste of the film, I don’t think its horror misdirection will lead to great success.

Set entirely in one location, Presence makes the most of its close quarters by creating a looming sense of anxiety within the walls of the house. Soderbergh’s not only directs but acts as cinematographer as well, under his pseudonym Peter Andrews, and uses several different lenses to explore the space as well as the panic of the family. It was a unique and very interesting way of making us understand that things aren’t what they seem within the house. That along, with the phenomenal score by Zack Ryan - which was the real standout of the entire film in my opinion - added a great level of discomfort to what was an otherwise unscary visual experience.

The cast are brilliant in their roles, with Rebecca played by Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) and Chris played by Chris Sullivan (TV’s This is Us) facing an uphill battle of marital problems along with two teenage kids who couldn’t be any more different from each other. I was a huge fan of This Is Us, so to see Chris Sullivan was a wonderful and welcome surprise - even one where I sort of cheered when I saw him on screen, due to the fact he hasn’t been in the marketing.

But Callina Liang and Eddy Maday really steal the show as Chloe and Tyler, both of whom are trying to find their footing at a new school and within the walls of their new home. The trauma that Chloe has faced prior to their move combated against the sudden popularity of Tyler made for a believable internal struggle within the family, that I honestly found more interesting then the actual apparition within the house.

Admittedly, I like the film as a whole but didn’t love the last 10 minutes of the film which completely took away from the gravity of both the family situation and spectral presence within their walls.

Presence is a perfect example of style over substance. It packs some heavy themes about grief and the family structure, but doesn’t pack enough of a punch in terms of the promises it makes for thrills. It is another check-mark for a genre on the resume of the great Steven Soderbergh so if there is any silver lining, I guess that’s our takeaway.