Presence

Film: Presence

Year: 2024

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Writer: David Koepp

Starring: Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and Callina Liang

Review:

This was a film that I knew was getting buzz. The trailer caught my attention when it was being shown at the Gateway Film Center so I added it to my list of films to see for 2025. Something interesting is that most buzz from people that I interact with in the community was positive. Going along with that was the debate whether this was a horror film. I was able to catch this on the opening Sunday of it coming out.

Synopsis: a family becomes convinced they are not alone after moving into their new home in the suburbs.

We start this inside of an empty house. We are seeing everything in this film from the eyes of the ‘presence’. Then we see Cece (Julia Fox) preparing to show it to a new family. It hasn’t even hit the market yet. Rebecca (Lucy Liu) talks to her husband, Chris (Chris Sullivan), in the kitchen. She is ready to put in an offer where Chris isn’t sure that it is a good idea. She is driving this because their son, Tyler (Eddy Maday), is a great swimmer. This puts him at a good school where he can compete at a high level. She doesn’t seem to care how her daughter, Chloe (Callina Liang), might be affected. Regardless of how Chris feels, they put in an offer.

It is from here that we jump into different times as the family settles and goes about their lives. Chris is worried about Chloe, where Rebecca thinks she just needs time. Chloe has had two different friends pass away abruptly. Tyler thinks it is due to them doing drugs. These siblings don’t get along. Part of it is how selfish Tyler is. That isn’t helped by his mother constantly doting him on. Chloe feels the presence, but no one will listen to her. That is until certain things happen that cannot be ignored. Tyler also befriends Ryan (West Mulholland) who is the most popular guy at this new school. He also has his eye on Chloe.

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start in my thoughts is whether this is a horror film. The argument is that the elements that put this into the genre are not exclusive to horror. You can watch an atmospheric drama film. There can be this sense of foreboding in a thriller as events go to the inevitable. You can also even have ghosts or a haunted house in gothic films. There is even an argument here that the scariest scene is right near the end. Despite everything that I’ve said here, I still think that this is in genre. I just won’t argue with anyone who disagrees, because that comes down to personal preference.

Now that I have that out of the way, I do agree that this is more of a family drama. I’m also going to incorporate it in the filmmaking since we are seeing everything through the eyes of this entity. I love that most of the family members do not know there is a ghost staring at them. This terrifies me to be honest. It is only Chloe and it isn’t every time. We are popping into important moments to tell this story. What we don’t know is if this entity is here all day, every day or if the consciousness comes forward when stress or something is happening. Either way, every time we jump into a scene it is to develop a character or characters through what they do or say. It all culminates in what a woman who has second sight tells Chris regarding a window that doesn’t open. She alerts him that it hasn’t happened yet. There is a stretch that you could also make the argument there is no presence. I do like that this has it move items so we know there is. Bringing this to life was something I appreciate with the practical route that it went. It also makes us feel like a ‘fly on the wall’ by seeing through it.

Since I’ve discussed how they make this happen, let’s then go over to the acting performances. This is where these shines. I love how the performances bring these characters to life and how it also plays with gender norms, without being in your face. Liu is great as this mother who is the more successful parent. She loves Tyler more than Chloe and it is bordering on incestuous. What I like is that it doesn’t press buttons for the sake of it. Rebecca is wrapped up in what she’s doing and making sure Tyler succeeds, seemingly ignoring her daughter. This is different from your typical American family. I’ve seen people saying that Chris is emasculated. He doesn’t mind it though. He is more of the loving parent, focusing on Chloe due to the loss she’s gone through. I liked the construct we have here. Maday and Liang are both good. Him being narcissistic and her just floating through life. She’s trying to find herself and that was something I appreciated. All four were great here.

Now I’ll then discuss another character who becomes more important as we go. Ryan is someone that Tyler thinks will help his social standing at the school. It causes him to freak out when over dinner Chloe brings up that she thinks there’s a presence in the house. What is interesting is that the first time Ryan comes to the house, Tyler asks if he wants to meet her. This feels natural enough. There is morbid curiosity there, since she was friends with one of the deceased classmates. She is also attractive. Mulholland is good here as this teen who is popular, but harboring his own issues. That is like any normal person. It goes dark though the more we learn about him and why he wants to get to know Chloe.

Then the last part of the story is circling back to this presence. Chloe is convinced that it is her friend. This doesn’t get confirmed but there is something that happens late that makes me wonder. My issue would be if it is her friend, why are they haunting this house? The dates could line up since we learn through Rebecca and Chris that it didn’t happen that long ago. This information isn’t needed. It is just something that I questioned.

All that I want to finish out by saying is that this is well-made. I’ve already said how good the cinematography was. The framing is as well and I thought it makes for interesting visual storytelling. There isn't that much in the way of effects. I’d bet they were done practically since they are subtle. Either way, I thought those were good. The soundtrack is also solid and fits what was needed here.

In conclusion, I can see this being a divisive film. I’m guessing it will be split on the community whether this is horror or just a family drama. I can see both sides. To me, it does enough to be at least adjacent. It has good acting to bring this family to life. I like what they’re doing with the filmmaking techniques, especially the cinematography. Since this was made by Soderbergh, I’m not shocked that they went with a more minimalist approach. Leaning just a bit more into the horror would help. With what we get, this is a modern gothic film that is well-made. Not one that I can recommend to everyone, but if you like this director or what I said sounds interesting, give this a viewing.

My Rating: 8 out of 10