‘Presence’ Review – A Different Kind Of Haunting Superbly Handled By Steven Soderbergh

Presence works on many levels, and one of its main strengths is the man working his magic behind the camera. Steven Soderbergh is a master filmmaker who, because he’s already had so much success, has no problem experimenting in different genres and with different techniques. When you have had the box office clout and won the most prestigious awards, there is likely more freedom in trying new things and seeing what sticks. That has been the appeal of the director’s most recent work and that continues with this eerie haunted house effort that finds a way to turn that basic premise on its head. Presence is unsettling, not just because it’s an effectively made horror film, but also because it dives into the modern nuclear family and establishes that some of the tension doesn’t just come from the haunting, but from the traumas that the family is enduring.

The Paynes are a family of four who have moved into a large suburban house. Early on, it’s clear that aspects of their relationship are very strained. The father, Chris Payne (Chris Sullivan), asks all the necessary questions about the home while his wife, Rebekah (Lucy Liu), engages in minimal conversation between sending texts on her phone. Their son Tyler (Eddy Maday) could care less about the new place they are moving into, while his younger sister Chloe (Callina Liang) is interested enough to explore. There is a general distance between the family, and it’s being looked upon by a poltergeist who is haunting the home. The story unravels from the perspective of the unknown presence that is trapped within the house.  Making this different from a typical haunted house experience, the presence in question is watching almost like a voyeur as it tries to understand the family and it appears to have an innate connection to Chloe.

Presence is certainly a gimmick but it’s a gimmick that works because Soderbergh has a definite grasp on the story, the characters, and the technique used to establish the presence in the home. Through his camera, the audience is seeing things through the eyes of the ghost, making this much more of a human character story rather than watching characters trying to figure out all the weird things that are happening around them. What makes the film eerie is the sense that Soderbergh creates a constant feeling that something is watching the family, and that alone proves to be unsettling. The audience never sees the presence itself but the film does things to ensure that the audience knows it’s present, especially during moments with Chloe.

Chloe is going through her fair share of struggles. Her best friend Nadia passed away unexpectedly in her sleep, becoming the second girl in their area for this to happen to in the past two months. Chris is sympathetic about the move they’re making to a new home and how it could affect his daughter but Rebekah is much more cold and believes the family should make the move so that Tyler, who quickly aligns himself with the cool kids at their new school, can join the school’s swim team. It’s clear that Rebekah cares more about Tyler’s interests than Chloe’s and this appears to be a pain that presence understands as it looks in on the family.

The film establishes that this darkness that is hanging over the family could very well be the ghost within the home but it’s also the unspoken turmoil of the family that could almost be manifesting it. Tyler immediately makes best friends with a kid named Ryan (West Mulholland) at his school and while Tyler proves to be a less-than-desirable brother because he sees his sister more as a burden, Ryan feels differently about her when he comes over and is immediately drawn to her. They form a connection as he reveals that his relationship with his mother is very dysfunctional, which makes him feel isolated and alone, and Chloe finds it easy to open up to him about Nadia because she feels like a part of her died when she lost her friend. It has left her feeling alone in a similar fashion and it has also sent her to a very dark place.

Seeing all of his vulnerability and turmoil is the presence and that’s why it makes itself known to Chloe in very playful ways, sensing she needs a friend because she’s very much alone. Chloe is the first one to notice that something else is in the home but eventually the rest of the family feels it too and the presence makes its power known to them in very different ways. While it might find a kindred spirit in Chloe, the same can’t be said for the rest of the family and that’s when the escalating tension kicks in.

Presence was effectively marketed by Neon as a horror film but it’s easy to see why some audiences, expecting non-stop thrills, were left disappointed with the finished product. The ways that the presence makes itself known are unsettling and those who like a slow burn will be satisfied but what David Koepp’s scripti accomplishes even more than the chills is making the family dynamic interesting for the audience. This is as much a character study as it is an auteur horror film and at just 85 minutes, it compellingly tackles serious issues. From how children deal with grief, to how a parent’s favoritism can damage relationships between siblings, there is a lot to unpack and it’s done so with enough room to breathe to establish the family as fully fleshed-out human beings who are very flawed but identifiable in a real way to the audience. It’s easy to see, since the audience is essentially the eyes of the presence looking in, why the poltergeist is intrigued by the inner workings of its new inhabitants. It helps that all of the performers from top to bottom are on their A-game. For instance, Liu is known to most audiences due to her extensive TV work and filmography but she disappears into her role. The entire family feels real and completely lived in.

Presence won’t be for everyone, especially if they’re looking for the typical shocks of the genre. If anything the film shows how much has continued to grow over the years. It’s a multifaceted film that showcases that not only is there something haunting the home but the family is being haunted by their own guilt and regret. In this film, it proves that both can be frightening and showcases what can happen when those feelings are settled within the family because they can manifest into a larger threat before you simply can’t turn away from it.

Presence is now playing in select theaters and is available to watch on PVOD courtesy of NEON.