DMovies - Your platform for thought-provoking cinema
Entirely filmed from the entity's perspective, Steven Soderbergh supernatural horror is unusually warm and gentle to watch - in cinemas on Friday, January 24th

Nadia passed away to an accidental drug overdose in her young years. Some suspect she may have committed suicide. Whatever the reason, her spirit still roams the house where she once lived and died, and which has now been acquired by a vaguely dysfunctional family of four. Mum Rebecca (Lucy Liu) is determined to forge ahead and create a safe environment for her loved ones, despite the knowledge of the recent tragedy in the very same residence. Her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) is happy to abide, while also secretly considering a divorce. Their son Tyler (Eddy Maday) does not believe in the supernatural, and is completely unfazed (even angered) at the suggestion that spirits may exist. Their daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) is the most sensitive one. She strongly believes that Nadia, whom she knew while alive, is still there. In fact, she can feel her presence.

This is not a movie intended to frighten you. Subtle scare jumps inject the story with a little adrenaline, just not enough to keep you in the edge of your seat. That’s probably intentional. The story is seen from the perspective of the ghost. Nadia just walks around the house. She never utters a word. Occasionally she moves an object, as if wanting to tell the family that they are not alone. Ane she might be prepared to do a little more should her intervention be needed. Chloe’s claim early on in the movie that “Nadia wants to protect the family” provides the movie with an aura of benevolence. It’s almost as if the dead woman wanted to exist peacefully with the living. Well, this isn’t quite possible. The other family members are not as comfortable with the unusual intruder, whatever her intentions. So they invite a medium into the house. To shambolic results.

Except for a couple of establishing shots, the entire movie is filmed inside the house, a typical upper middle-class American abode in a leafy urban suburb. The images are captured by a wide angle lens, and a very skilled cinematographer equipped with a steadicam. They correspond to the point-of-view of the hapless Nadia, our unfortunate and never-to-be-seen protagonist. Except for a long opening take, in which Nadia introduces audiences to an entirely empty house yet to be purchased by the family, the whole film is composed of short takes of a minute or two, mirroring the fragmented state-of-mind of the entity. Wide angle lenses are usually used for the outdoors. The inevitable consequence of using them indoors and in movement is that the images become a little distorted. The outcome is gently jarring. The house is bright, spacious and a little unsettling, never sombre and oppressive.

Another remarkable aspect of Presence is that our allegiance remains largely with the poor spirit. We have no idea whether Nadia indeed committed suicide, what her life was life, and what she is looking for. We can’t help but feel sorry for her. As the taut 85-minute movie progresses, we realise that Nadfia has a mission on earth, and that her bond to Chloe is stronger than anyone anticipated. Perhaps Nadia can do more than move little objects around, and startle unsuspecting people with her cryptic presence.

While pleasant and fun to watch, Presence is not a film that stays with you for a very long time. The family relationships are superficial, and the subplots never come full circle. For example, it is never clear why Chris may want a separation, or why Rebecca is extremely fond of her male child, and a little more indifferent towards Chloe. And the ending is a little clunky, with a hasty resolution that doesn’t fit in well with the rest of the story. Not a hair-raising experience.

Presence is in cinemas on Friday, January 24th.


By Victor Fraga - 21-01-2025

Victor Fraga is a Brazilian born and London-based journalist and filmmaker with more than 20 years of involvement in the cinema industry and beyond. He is an LGBT writer, and describes himself as a di...

DMovies Poll

Are the Oscars dirty enough for DMovies?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Most Read

Sexual diversity is at the very heart of [Read More...]
Just a few years back, finding a film [Read More...]
Forget Friday the 13th, Paranormal Activity and the [Read More...]
A lot of British people would rather forget [Read More...]
Pigs might fly. And so Brexit might happen. [Read More...]
Films quotes are very powerful not just because [Read More...]

Read More

Unsane

Steven Soderbergh
2018

Victor Fraga - 24-02-2018

Entirely shot on iPhone, Steven Soderbergh's latest film starts out as a complex and moving psychological drama, but then slips into action and slasher clichés - on various VoD platforms; now also available on Mubi [Read More...]

Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh
2017

Victor Fraga - 23-08-2017

Steven Soderbergh's latest film Logan Lucky is a perfectly-executed and pleasant comedy about clumsy and kind-hearted criminals carrying out a heist, but it lacks a certain je-ne-sais-quoi - now on DVD, BD and VoD [Read More...]

Mother’s Baby

Johanna Moder
2025

Victor Fraga - 18-02-2025

Mother is convinced that there's something wrong with her newborn baby, in Austrian suspense movie with a touch of Rosemary's Baby ambiguity - from the Official Competition of the 75th Berlinale [Read More...]