- Date of Release: 24 January 2025
- Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Language: English
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Presence
Introduction
In an early scene in the English film Presence, you see a camera stationed in first person, traversing around the house without a purpose. There is an atmosphere of intrigue created even as you are accustomed to the unique style of filmmaking that allows the entire drama to unfold from the first person. And even as you are acquainted further, it is revealed that the ‘first person’ itself is the ‘Presence’ despite giving away no context to its past or motives. This innovative style of filmmaking definitely makes for an interesting start but it soon moderately pushes the drama into a gimmicky category, particularly after the novelty of the concept is flattened out. This is further true even as you are introduced to a family that enters the premises of the house, with each member being as different as chalk and cheese. The characterization coupled with a shortened runtime is such that it doesn’t allow you to fully invest in each of the characters, particularly in a drama that relies a lot on the atmospherics and the intrigue to provide a hook for the viewers. The payoff is pretty solid but the issue lies in the characterization wherein some plot-points do not land with logic as they are meant to be.
Story & Screenplay
The characterization remains a mixed bag in Presence. For starters, when you are introduced to the family of four, you witness that the family is on the brink of being separated. The family bonds are clear – Rebekah (Lucy Liu) is more close to her son Tyler (Eddy Maday), a champion swimmer and almost someone who comes across as a brash personality. On the other hand, Chris (Chris Sullivan) is close to his daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) who is in turn suffering from a bout of grief and depression while mourning the sudden death of her friend Nadia. Chris and Rebekah do not quite get along, with the former seeking legal help for his separation, while the latter is involved in some ‘illegal activities’. This, while ‘Presence’ remains a silent spectator and discreetly being protective of Chloe.
While the characterization makes for a partially meandering watch, the core dynamics of the film hinges on ‘Presence’ and its dynamics with Chloe. ‘Presence’ itself is symbolic of grief and trauma in its purest sense, even as Chloe being the only one who senses it around her, assuming it to be Nadia’s ghost. In an early scene, you literally see her looking straight at the fourth wall (or the camera), indicating her senses towards the lurking figure who remains invisible to other members of the family. And you see ‘Presence’ protecting Chloe (as opposed to attacking her like one would expect), something that you witness in a scene when she is intimate with Ryan (West Mulholland), Tyler’s new friend at school. While being intimate, a shelf suddenly falls on the side that makes the couple stop their activity. This theme remains consistent for the rest of the film.
The issue that I had was partly with the atmospherics that were created. It didn’t seem threatening enough to maintain a grip on the drama. As a result, there were extended portions of the ‘fillers’ that didn’t quite maintain the intrigue in the drama throughout. Only little shortcoming with respect to its setting remained its single location – the challenge being that you could do only so much after a point with it. The ambience and the novelty of the concept didn’t go beyond the measured tramline because of the setting. Yes, in between there were subtle hints dropped on the purpose of the ‘Presence’ that continued to remain ambiguous while being trapped in a confused timeline between the past, present and the future, and seeking for a motivation to alter a future event. But, I wish there was a little more investment on the emotional core in the drama that would have added to the payoff at the end.
Spoilers Ahead (in this paragraph) – It is clear that the writing is heavy dependent on the twin twists in the tale at the end. And I must say that the finale did work to the extent of most things adding up at the end. However, I would circle back to the characterization of Ryan, the one character who seemed interesting on paper but never had the justification to turn into a serial killer. As a result, the character never felt threatening enough to allow most emotions to land. On the other hand, it is revealed that ‘Presence’ literally goes into Tyler rooms in order for him to save his sister from Ryan while his parents are away. The writing did not take into account how ‘Presence’ at one point did ‘save’ Chloe in a certain manner while not providing enough reason to resort to the same method at the end. And once it is revealed that ‘Presence’ is indeed the ghost of Tyler from another timeline with a purpose to save his sister and be a medium of guilt, I wished that the final scene involving Rebekah understanding grief and opening her ‘window’ to the paranormal world, was allowed to simmer a little in emotions. The moment was too quick, particularly felt more given how the emotional mother-son bond wasn’t exactly well established at a start (barring a scene that really felt awkward while taking the ‘discussion’ in darker waters). The twists by themselves work but the minor flaws interspersed through the narrative ensured that the screenplay was mid through and through.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but one interesting thing to note was the ability of the writing to stay true to its theme of depression and grief through the lines. The BGM was decent but the drama demanded a better score for a better impact. The cinematography was terrific with wide-frames that allowed the drama to be shot in the first person. In fact, the frames almost weee successful in creating a character for the viewer, while managing to be a silent bystander in multiple scenes. I did have one major issue with the editing – the sudden blackouts that frequently disconnected me from the drama. Every time there was a sense of purpose with respect to the atmospherics, the break in the drama came in the form of a sudden blackout that didn’t quite sit well with me. And while the editing did a good job in maintaining a taut cut as far as the length of the film was concerned, the sudden breaks in the drama weren’t appreciated. Director Steven Soderbergh does a wonderful job with the filmmaking techniques that he employs. From shooting the drama through the first person setup to creating a high-concept horror, you can sense the skills and creativity of the filmmaker. Even when the writing meanders at certain places, the filmmaking is successful in maintain a grip so much so that the drama is watchable at the end of the day.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Chris Sullivan as Chris remains understated and does a good job although his character remains underwritten. Lucy Liu as Rebekah is excellent in the film, particularly in the final scene wherein she showcases all her acting chops in her fullest glory. But again, the character is underdeveloped and needed a little more emotional depth. Eddy Maday as Tyler has his moments to shine. West Mulholland as Ryan does a good job in a character that needed a solid justification for his antics, as opposed to the broad strokes that the writing provides with generic reasoning. Callina Liang as Chloe has a terrific screen presence and has perhaps the best written character. And she showcases traits of depression and grief with silent moments of sensitivity and maturity, thereny making her performance wonderful to witness.
Conclusion
Presence is a partly gimmicky and partly rewarding paranormal drama that heavily relies on a solid finale to work. It is a high-concept drama and experimental in nature, but it doesn’t always land with the emotions in store, thereby making it a decent watch overall. Available in a theatre near you.
