When it comes to a film directed by Steven Soderbergh, you never know what you’re going to get. The American filmmaker is known for delivering mainstream Hollywood hits such as Ocean’s Eleven and Magic Mike, but over the last ten years, Soderbergh has gotten more experimental with his work. For example, two of his films from the 2010s, Unsane and High Flying Bird, were completely shot on an iPhone. Soderbergh continues to push boundaries with his new ghost story Presence, which flips the typical haunted house movie on its head.Â
Rebekah (Lucy Liu) and Chris (Chris Sullivan) move into a renovated house in the suburbs that is around a hundred years old, along with their children Chloe (Callina Liang) and Tyler (Eddy Maday). Rebekah is a highly strung mother who favours arrogant Tyler over Chloe, while Chris is more understanding towards the trauma his daughter has experienced. Chloe’s best friend Nadia recently died of a drug overdose, sending Chloe into a deep depression. While processing her grief, Chloe begins to feel a presence in the house, watching her. She’s the only one who can sense it at first, but it’s not long until the entire family catches on and tries to understand its motivations.
What makes Presence unique is that it is shot entirely from the point of view of the ghost haunting the house. The camera itself becomes a character, with long winding shots going up stairs and down corridors, as the presence watches the family during their most vulnerable moments. The audio also zones in on particular dialogue and sound effects as we eavesdrop on conversations and key moments. As a viewer, it feels incredibly voyeuristic, and the camerawork creates a real sense of the space being occupied. Soderhberg does a lot with a little, as the action is confined entirely to the house, and simple practical effects are used to create startling moments. It all functions well, but yet it feels like there’s a missed opportunity.
While the POV camerawork makes for an interesting concept, it also feels like this device could have been stretched further. It’s easy to think about how Presence would have turned out if Soderbergh had ditched the POV and simply shot the film as a regular narrative. Would there be much of a difference in terms of what we see? Potentially not. The camerawork is the most effective element to justify the concept, but certain editing effects like the frame shaking feel a bit cheap. It’s also important to note that the film is more of a family drama than a straight out horror. While this has been marketed as one of the most terrifying films of the years, viewers may be misled and disappointed that this takes a rather slow-burn approach, and that the horrors in the house are mostly limited to objects moving, shaking and falling over occasionally. It’s more sad than scary, with the main cast delivering strong performances that will have the audience invested in their characters.
Presence is an intriguing take on the classic ghost story, but slightly misses the mark in its execution and promise of terror.
