Presence [2025] Review: A Work of Art!
In the midst of serial killers, demons, home invaders, and zombies, the classic ghost story still remains a staple in horror. It is an avenue that is able to connect humans with the world unseen to them, where the unknown amplifies their feelings of curiosity and terror when faced with presences with questionable intentions. Between cinema, novels, and even podcasts, spirits range from evil entities to even family members hoping to connect with us once more.
Common questions we ask ourselves include, are these presences trapped in one place? Are they choosing to “haunt” a given house? Who are they and what do they want? Steven Soderbergh addresses these questions in his second horror film following 2018’s Unsane. Presence is a captivating and emotionally charged horror-drama with a fresh twist on what lies on the other side.
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Rebecca (Lucy Liu) moves her family into a large house in the suburbs that is not as empty as they think. Her daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) is grieving the loss of her best friend Nadia while her son Tyler (Eddy Maday) is excited to start a new school as an swimmer, all while her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) is caught between his wife’s obsession with their son’s success and her neglect for Chloe. When Chloe begins to sense there is a presence within their home, their family drama grows into something beyond their understanding.
Within the first ten minutes of Presence it becomes clear that the audience is watching the film in the perspective of the spirit that lives within the family’s home. It features POV camerawork where Soderbergh maintains long takes as the camera moves throughout the house to listen and watch the family’s conversations and actions day after day. In this way, Soderbergh creates a masterfully unique film making the audience feel as if they are walking inside a dollhouse, following members of the family during their public and private conversations. The layout of the film enhances the layered family drama as it physically follows them from room to room while also following their layered secrets and actions in solitude.
“A marvel of conceptual filmmaking.” Steven Soderbergh’s PRESENCE is now playing in theaters. Get tickets: https://t.co/2i389KysB3 pic.twitter.com/oaPHHiPRtQ
— NEON (@neonrated) February 3, 2025
David Koepp’s script keeps audiences on their toes, never playing all of its cards at once. The film progresses as it slowly unveils the story at hand, maintaining one or two steps ahead of the viewers. As it reaches its eventual conclusion, it never feels like a rug is being pulled out from under us. Instead, our assumptions before the film’s revelations feel in line with the knowledge we have obtained from previous media, displaying just how innovative and skillfully Soderbergh and Koepp are able to defy expectations to keep their audience engaged and surprised. It is a film that does not rely on its payoff but unfolds so heartbreakingly that its dramatic build up allows for it to stick the landing exceptionally.
At the core of Presence is the story of a broken family holding on by a thread. Despite Rebecca and Chris having been married for over a decade, the cracks lie in the separation between Rebecca and her daughter Chloe, focusing all her attention and energy on her son Tyler. Chris, seeing himself in Chloe, a soul lost in the grief of her best friend Nada’s death, connects with her because of his own feeling of loss in his connection with Rebecca. Seeing this divide among the family only gets stronger as the spirit we are following becomes a prime character in the family’s obstacles.
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Just as the family is unsure where each of their purposes lie individually and as a unit, the presence in the house is also discovering why it is there and what it must do to free itself from the confines of the house. As Soderbergh’s camerawork glides through the house, the shots that lie still emphasize the key moments that will either bring the four of them together or tear them further apart. Presence is a work of art through Soderbergh’s directing and Koepp’s screenwriting that is high in the ranks of cinematic ghost stories to date.
‘Presence’ Rating – 4.5/5
Follow Steph (the Author) on IG – @cinemasteph_7
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