3.5 out of 5 stars

While the horror genre seems to be enjoying something of a resurgence within the film industry over the last few years, stories concerning ghosts are one theme that has possibly received the least attention. Apart from The Conjuring franchise—which spawned the Annabelle and Nun films—the only other recent feature released in cinemas that was about something which went ‘bump in the night’ was the excellent The Night House (2020). However, spectres are now back again thanks to American auteur director Steven Soderbergh who has come out of retirement once more with a new type of haunted house tale in the form of Presence.

This latest spook-based feature focuses on a family that has just moved into a large house which seems to have a live-in poltergeist. Said family comprises husband and wife Rebecca (Lucy Liu) and Chris Payne (Chris Sullivan), eldest son Tyler (Eddy Maday), and younger daughter Chloe (Callina Liang). Early on, you see that the Payne family is under strain, due in part to some work-related financial fraud involving Rebecca, but also from Chloe’s trauma following the death of a close school friend. If this wasn’t enough, this dysfunctional family soon realises that their new home has a spirit moving around inside.

For anyone familiar with Soderbergh’s extensive filmography, it’ll come as no surprise to find out this isn’t a run-of-the-mill haunted house movie. For one thing, it’s not truly a horror; if you had to put a label on it, the closest description would be a family drama with a supernatural edge. Yes, there are times the film is kind of creepy but, by and large, the family story looms large here, with the ghostly element floating around the edges.

Secondly, what makes this stand out from other similar types of genre films is that the entire narrative structure is presented from the presence’s point of view. So, from the very first frame to the last, the camera is roaming around the house from bedroom to living room, wardrobe to kitchen; whatever its origin, it seems trapped inside the property: its only view of the outside is when it looks through a window. While the creeping camera helps to create an unsettling atmosphere, this original storytelling device—coupled with effective editing—also makes for a clever way to relay notable parts of the story by acting as a kind of unseen nosy fifth family member; treating its audience to the latest juicy development as it enters midway through a scene just as something interesting happens.

Joining Soderbergh behind the camera for a second time, following Kimi (2022), is the equally prolific screenwriter David Koepp (Stir of Echoes). His screenplay leaves just enough room for the drama to unfold without relying too heavily on the ghost’s POV—something which could have ended up being too gimmicky and pulling you out of the story. What the viewer ends up with instead is (for the most part) a nicely balanced series of scenes that, together with the editing and score, all make for an increasingly unsettling film as certain plot points become apparent during the tight 85-minute runtime.

Composer Zack Ryan adds something of a moody, traditional orchestral score that fills the film with plenty of dread-inducing strings and piano. As good as this is on its own merits, this atmospheric soundtrack is utilised even more effectively with the way it’s edited to certain screen cuts that jump to a black screen for a few seconds. Sometimes, the music continues, other times it doesn’t; the result makes for a subtle yet consistently alarming soundscape.

Aside from the film’s technical merits, the acting throughout is strong—particularly from Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels) and relative newcomer Callina Liang. Liu takes what is essentially an unlikeable character due to her apparent disproportionate level of affection for the children, as well as that ‘work thing’, and yet still gives her a level of vulnerability and empathy that leads to you feeling conflicted towards her as the film’s story moves into altogether darker territory. Liang, though, is the star performer. Her grief-stricken Chloe, who’s clearly sensitive to the supernatural resident, gives some much-needed dramatic heft to the proceedings. Her portrayal is never showy or over the top, yet still somehow leaves an impression.   

Taking all of this into consideration, your own personal viewing experience will largely rely on how much you buy into the ghost POV style that, for me anyway, is pretty much one of the film’s most interesting factors at play here. Yes, the acting is good, but at times the screenplay’s handling of characters is too clumsy to make everything come together quite as well as it perhaps could have; the family dynamics on view throughout occasionally come across as forced and, ultimately, lack believability. Where the story ends up may also feel a little off-kilter from what has gone before, but it certainly makes for a thrilling conclusion that is executed with skill and precision which, coming from Soderbergh, isn’t unexpected.

While we’re on the subject, full credit has to be given to the director here. Not only has he managed to take a tiny $2M budget and direct something interesting and stylistically original; but he also performed cinematography and editing duties with his usual level of expertise. So, while Koepp’s script may falter at times, the level of craft on display does a lot of the heavy lifting and leaves this supernatural thriller with a level of class and appeal that lesser filmmakers would struggle to create.

USA | 2024 | 85 MINUTES | 1.85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

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Cast & Crew

director: Steven Soderbergh
writer: David Koepp
starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland & Julia Fox.