Ghosts are not the only thing that can haunt us.
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, Presence begins as married couple Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan) move purchase a new home for their family. Moving in with their kids, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang), we quickly discover that this is a family struggling to hold things together. Whether it’s Chloe’s grief at the loss of a friend or Rebekah’s increasing problems at work, the cracks in their life are growing deeper. Then, when the family becomes aware of a ghostly presence within their walls, they summon a spiritualist to help them get to the bottom of the mystery before them.
In Presence, Soderbergh embraces his spooky side but never loses his emphasis on character. Through long, fluid takes, the film embraces the perspective of its spirit as it moves through the home. As it weaves between conversations, the ‘presence’ constantly interacts with the members of this family yet rarely does so directly. Floating effortlessly around corners and up and down stairs, the camera becomes an essential character as the presence brings us into the most intimate conversations held by this family.
After all, Presence is about more than a haunting apparition. In this home, it’s also about the lack of togetherness between family members. Although this family has moved into a new home, it’s clear that they also are dealing with old problems that are catching up to them. While the emphasis lies primarily on the grief of the eldest daughter, every character is dealing with their own traumas and poor decisions.
As Chris warns ominously, “Make smart decisions. The stupid ones tend to last forever.”
It’s these character moments that make the film work best. Every conversation feels pregnant with vital information as we unlock the puzzle box that lies before us. But Koepp’s script rightly keeps the story grounded. Instead of succumbing to unnecessary special effects or horrifying visuals, Presence keeps the story localized around the relationships within the home. In doing so, it allows him to use the supernatural elements to emphasis the characters within the story as opposed to any particularly graphic scenes.
Although the film leaves some questions unanswered, Presence still manages to wrap up its most vital threads effectively. These sorts of films can be difficult to execute but Koepp’s script keeps the film’s narrative tight. Without giving any spoilers, the film’s finale wraps up all that we need to know, rather than give us all the things that we may want to know. But, backed by strong performances (especially an utterly remarkable Sullivan) and a solid script, Presence proves to be an engaging home worth visiting.
Presence is playing at TIFF ’24. For more information, click here.
