Presence is one of the most interesting ghost stories I’ve seen in a long time. Surprisingly, this film was just put out in the worst part of the movie release calendar of January. It’s kind of disappointing that Steven Soderbergh‘s newest film has been shunted off like this. Written by David Koepp with directing, cinematography, and editing by Soderbergh himself (and his aliases), Presence follows a family, The Paynes, moving into a new home that is only known to the daughter Chloe at first is haunted. The entirety of the film is shown from the ghost’s viewpoint. The ghost doesn’t or can’t talk; it can move things, which is the only way of communicating.
Most of the film is a family drama with the type A personality Rebecca (Lucy Liu) dealing with work and her apparent favoritism of her firstborn son Tyler that they move to make sure he’s in a better school for his athletic career. Tyler, played by Eddy Maday, is the most annoying spoiled bro-ey kid you’ve seen on screen in a long time. Maday is so good at this that I will probably be annoyed at him the next time I see him in a film. Rebecca’s husband, Chris (Chris Sullivan), is a more caring parent. He ends up spending time with his daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) after the tragic loss of a friend.
All the performances feel natural, and if you only saw the middle of this film, you’d think the film was a found footage drama. The way the camera moves in and around the house and the family sometimes feels like you’re seeing such private moments. The parents have a believable relationship between the two, and Maday and Liang feel like siblings. The character Ryan, played by West Mulholland, is paced out through the story very well. Natalie Woolams-Torres, who plays Lisa, the medium, was very impactful to me as she noticed the ghost and looked in its direction, which made it feel like she was looking at you. Her character makes the film a bit more immersive.
I don’t know why they make a big deal in the promotion of Julia Fox, as she’s not in the film that long, and it’s completely forgettable. She plays the realtor at the beginning of the film. You can blink and miss her literally. The cast is small and focused, with great direction and edits. The sound works well in this to add a bit of spookiness, but it’s not a scary film in the slightest. This isn’t close to horror in any way. Presence is another solid piece of filmmaking from a modern cinema great, Soderbergh, with good performances, concept, and a nice ending twist that makes it worth rewatching.
Score: B
