Presence Summary and Review - A Unique Haunting

The Presence is a supernatural horror film that flips the haunted house genre on its head by telling the story from the ghost’s perspective. Shot in a style that flirts with found-footage, without the unruly camera-work, the film invites viewers into the world of the Payne family - up close, uncomfortable, and increasingly eerie.

Simmering Tensions

The Paynes have just moved into a new house, hopeful for a fresh start. But simmering tensions soon bubble to the surface. Rebecca, the driven matriarch and a high-powered legal professional, is facing undisclosed legal trouble. She seems closest to her golden-boy son Tyler, a cocky high school athlete, while her relationship with her daughter Chloe is more strained. Chloe, still grieving the mysterious death of her best friend Nadia, is fragile and isolated - further alienated by her brother’s bullying and her mother’s emotional distance. Meanwhile, Chris, the father, tries to both support the family and contain its worst excesses, juggling loyalties in a desperate attempt to keep the family together.

Hovering silently through their lives is the film’s ghostly presence - an unseen voyeur that observes more than it acts, until it begins to focus on Chloe, making its presence known to her first. which leads Chloe to believes Nadia is reaching out to her from beyond.

A Beacon of Light

Chloe’s world brightens when Tyler brings home a new friend, Ryan. The boy is unusual - charming but troubled, but more importantly, empathetic. He bonds with Chloe in secret, offering a sense of understanding she doesn’t get from her family. Their relationship adds another layer to the story, as he becomes something of a beacon of light in her dark world.

As the ghost’s presence grows harder to deny, the family calls in a medium but definitive answers remain elusive. According to the medium, the spirit itself is confused; it doesn't know why it’s here or what it’s meant to do. Time, she suggests, works differently for entities such as this - an intriguing idea that underscores the film’s mystery.

Deliberate But Not Dull

The Presence is more meditative than terrifying. Its pace is deliberate, but not dull. Visually, the POV camerawork is used effectively, giving viewers the sense that they’re truly seeing the world through the ghost’s eyes - intimate, unsettling, and ever present, underlined with a mournful orchestral score lends emotional weight and elevates the atmosphere. 

The performances tie the film into the narrative and Lucy Liu delivers a strong, no-nonsense portrayal of Rebecca, the driven mother - emotionally distant but clearly under pressure. Chris Sullivan puts in a notable performance as a father doing his best to hold the family together. The horror here is rooted in grief, human folly and family dysfunction and it works just as well as a domestic drama as it does a ghost story. 

A Few Missteps

While the film has a well-crafted narrative and strong production values, there are a few missteps. The editorial decision to abruptly end of some scenes, created a slightly jarring viewing experience and the dynamic of mother and son versus father and daughter felt like a head-to-head that was a bit too neatly arranged to create tension. Most notably, the ghost displays signs of poltergeist-like activity early on, but that ability to intervene mysteriously vanishes at a later stage, when it would have made the most narrative sense. This continuity oversight dents an otherwise coherent story and is difficult to ignore.

The Presence closes with a twist that many may find satisfying but personally, I misread this and when I researched the explanation I felt that the intended meaning wasn't as clear-cut as it could have been, although perhaps that says more about my perception than the story development.

Still, The Presence is worth a watch. It’s mysterious, restrained, and thoughtful - more interested in exploring emotional hauntings than dishing out scares. Although it never fully develops the psychological horror elements that could have made it more memorable, for those looking for something reflective rather than relentless, this ghost story might just linger with you after the credits roll.

3/5

Rebecca Payne: Lucy Liu 
Chris Payne: Chris Sullivan 
Chloe Payne: Callina Liang 
Tyler Payne: Eddy Maday 
Ryan Caldwell: West Mulholland 
Cece (the realtor) Julia Fox 
Lisa (the medium) – Natalie Woolams‑Torres
Carl (Lisa’s husband) – Lucas Papaelias
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: David Koepp
Release: 2024

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