Review
Presence (Horror, Drama) (2024)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: David Koepp
Stars: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday
Moving into their new home, a family comes to realise they're not the only inhabitants of this suburban house; a lingering spirit is with them.
Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, before making rounds appearing at others, eventually making a full release in 2025. Soderbergh presents his latest film, a supernatural horror with unique ideas. Supported by David Koepp, a veteran writer in the industry with whom the director had previously collaborated on projects such as "Kimi" there were some delays in production due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It was filmed entirely within a house in Cranford, New Jersey, and was produced by Sugar23, Extension 765, while being distributed by Neon.
Finding themselves a sizeable suburban home, the Payne family tries to manage their own household while trauma from a past friend of their daughter manifests itself in the form of a poltergeist.
Within a solitary location, we're bound to this suburban home animated with the energy of those beyond the veil. This is what Soderbergh, in his uniquely visualised feature, tries to encapsulate: as the onlooker, an unusual role is instilled in our being, and with Koepp's writing, something extraordinary takes form in a genre-defying piece.
Alone in an empty house, large yet devoid of life or feeling, a childish energy yet sombre fills this place as a car shrieks in the driveway. This visual is the catalyst for our story, and as soon as the Payne family, played by Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, and feature debuting Callina Liang and Eddy Maday, we're slowly adjusting to fresh dynamics. Through this unusual camera work in a performance by Soderbergh himself, those keen enough will notice that we're the entity that seems to haunt this place, or perhaps a person or item even. Those captivated by the paranormal or supernatural elements within film might find it tame and lacking definition; yet, there is a special touch that allows Soderbergh, largely helped by his cast members, to bring something unusually his own.
Through cinema, we, as viewers, experience stories outside of ourselves, whether that is to find distance from our own lives, entertain ourselves, or provide solace to our fragile souls. Soderbergh takes an additional step. We're not meant to know everything about the Paynes, yet as their name implies, a deep scar runs underneath the surface. Sullivan's Chris is torn between being the rock of the family and leaving his domineering and opinionated wife, Liu's Rebekah, behind. Despite her undescribed, not entirely legal ventures, he backs her and tries to gather the strength to catch her if she were to fall. Their children struggle on their own end. Maday's Tyler unable to find pity for his sister who's doted on by his father, while Tyler himself becomes increasingly arrogant, trying to find friends in others while bullying his grieving sister in Liang's Chloe. She is where the true story hangs, impacted heavily by the sudden loss of her friend Nadia; her grief makes her severely affected, and unknowingly, Nadia, or rather the viewer, is closer than she initially thinks. This is where Soderbergh pulls some rule-breaking, yet effective tricks. Although I hadn't noticed this as much with Chloe, those aware see Nadia's gaze look straight towards her. It was during the medium's session that I truly noticed, stepping out of a car and looking into the window, as a paranormal investigator in any other horror project would, seeing a lady in white or a creepy kid in an empty house. This was a highlight in a divisive feature.
Genuinely, "Presence" while dallying with the idea of the audience inhabiting the form of a spirit, it's anything but a usual horror, if at all so. What it does deliver on is lightly approaching family drama, or rather, the relationships and patterns between them. Unlike any ordinary poltergeist, Nadia figures as a protective spirit, finding a kinship with Chloe, likely because she was a close friend. The reasoning behind Nadia haunting this home is unclear, although assumptions can be made based on what the medium later states. However, nothing in Soderbergh's paranormal showcase delineates a clear narrative hook. There was true promise within the paranormal, only to be furthered by the relationships and connections between the Paynes, bringing something to the table for both those keen on ghost investigations and the world, and others more intrigued by psychological drama. In a sense, "Presence" would've been an excellent film—if a student made it. Soderbergh needs to drop the gimmicks and focus on a structured and defined narrative, using all the lessons he learned to create a cohesive whole.
Verdict
Missing the presence of an elaborate narrative.
6,5
