PRESENCE Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, Callina Liang, West Mulholland, Julia Fox.
Steven Soderbergh’s latest film is a low budget supernatural haunted house tale that could be a distant cousin of the supernatural Paranormal Activity series. But unlike those films, which drew upon the found footage aesthetic, in Presence all of the film’s drama unfolds from the perspective of the poltergeist that inhabits the house. It’s a clever gimmick. Presence has been written by veteran screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Panic Room, etc), who is one of the most successful screenwriters in Hollywood. Presence is a lean and stripped back drama that runs for an economical 85 minutes.
The Payne family move into their new house, a sprawling suburban house, full of expectations. But their new house soon takes on a sinister edge when they become aware of some strange presence within. This presence further exacerbates the tensions within the family.
Rebecca (Lucy Liu, from Xena Warrior Princess, etc) has been embezzling money from her work. She indulges her oldest son Tyler (Eddy Maday, making his film debut here), a champion athlete, but he is also something of a bully. Rebecca’s husband Chris (Chris Sullivan, from the tv series This Is Us, etc) is planning on leaving Rebecca. Their troubled daughter Chloe (Callina Liang, in her film debut) is grieving over the recent death of her friend Nadia, who died of a drug overdose. She senses the presence of the poltergeist. It seems as though it is there to watch over Chloe. However Teddy and Chloe don’t get along, which further adds to the tension within the family.
The realtor who sold them the house suggests that they allow her sister-in-law Lisa, who is a medium, to pay a visit. She also senses the presence the spirit and says that it is trapped somehow, with unfulfilled business. She also issues a warning, but Chris and Rebecca dismiss her and her concerns.
Tyler brings home his friend Ryan (West Mulholland, from the tv series Animal Kingdom, etc), a slightly creepy type who displays an unhealthy interest in Chloe. One night when both parents are away, Ryan drugs Tyler to keep him out of the way as he has plans for Chloe. The presence intervenes to save her, but the evening ends in a tragedy.
Presence is in essence a domestic drama with a supernatural angle, but there is little scary about the project, which may disappoint hard-core horror fans. The film deals with themes of dysfunctional family relationships, abuse, grief, isolation, and paranormal phenomena, but it takes a darker turn towards the end. Soderbergh is one of those prolific filmmakers who often experiments with different genres and approaches to filmmaking and Presence is certainly an interesting addition to his canon of work even if it is not completely successful.
Soderbergh shot the film himself, using his regular pseudonym of Peter Andrews. He effectively uses handheld cameras to prowl through the empty house at the start of the film, taking in every room, every crook and nanny giving us point of view shots from the perspective of the spirit. This gives the material something of a voyeuristic quality. The drama is confined to a single location, and the house itself becomes one of the main characters of the film.
Soderbergh also employs some long continuous takes and he experiments with unusual camera angles to add to the disorienting mood he is trying to create. The camera sometimes shakes in an attempt to show the spirit’s anger or displeasure at what is happening around Chloe. The camera never leaves the house – even scenes that take place outside, such as a heated family discussion on the back verandah or people arriving by car, are shot through windows and doors. In fact, the only time the camera leaves the house is at the end of the film when it soars out and above the house.
Performances from the small cast are generally fine. Liu is fine as the emotionally distant Rebecca, and Liang brings empathy and sympathy to her performance. Mulholland has a disturbing presence as Ryan. However, some of the dialogue seems improvised, and the delivery is stilted.
Presence is an interesting experiment from Soderbergh, who has some intriguing ideas to explore, but in the end this is more a case of style over substance.
★★☆
