Synopsis

When a family moves into a new house after a tragedy impacts the daughter, they must each wrestle with their own personal emotional challenges. All while dealing with the creeping feeling that another presence is hovering over the home.

What Did I Like?

Anyone discussing this film’s positives will invariably focus on two things, firstly the camerawork. The flowing, long takes used to deliver the film’s story are astounding. The smooth movement between rooms, often phasing in and out of different characters’ conversations, natural placement and motions and the perfect timing of each camera manoeuvre make the camerawork both a technical marvel and an effective way of characterising the presence observing the story. This film will undoubtedly be used in media courses for years to come. It’s an amazingly efficient example of how to involve audiences in a film’s world, story and atmosphere using the camera.

The second aspect many will focus on is the central cast’s performances. Callina Liang deserves the biggest share of the praise. Her performance as Chloe is fantastic. She mixes wonderfully played teenage vulnerability with a good amount of humour, strength and warmth. But all the other performers also do great work here. Chris Sullivan is quietly brilliant as Chris, the dad who does his best to help his kids. Even if he feels emotionally raw about his marriage. Lucy Liu’s Rebekah is brash but always realistic and sympathetic. Plus Eddy Maday’s Tyler and West Mulholland’s Ryan capture the vile sexist nature of many teenage boys disturbingly well. All of these performers individually and collectively make the drama fiercely engaging.

Beyond these points, it must also be noted that the effects are, mostly, very well done (artificial camera shakes aside). With the presence’s ghostly powers being pulled off without any behind-the-scenes seams being visible. The production design is beautiful. The direction of the action, as is expected from Steven Soderbergh, is so perfect it’s pretty much invisible and its discussion of issues relating to sexist force and violence hanging over the family is pointed and very relevant.

What Did I Not Like?

Undoubtedly the weakest element of this film is the writing. The story is fine and the characterisation of the main players is incredible but pivotal plot moments such as the use of a psychic and the final act feel either forced or like they aren’t given enough build-up, which makes the ultimate resolution not hit as hard as it could have. On top of this some of the dialogue, despite the cast’s best efforts, feels very much like it comes from the mind of a screenwriter rather than the characters speaking.

Also aside from the moments of the camera drifting around the house on its own the use of music feels rather forced and distracting. It’s as if it is trying to artificially heighten emotions that are already being achieved. Honestly, the filmmakers should have had more confidence in the characters and the direction’s ability to carry the story. 

Finally, the editing choice to end most scenes with a black screen feels like it always grinds the film to a halt. Something else should have been done to help give the impression of a change in time.

Conclusion

Presence is an admirable technical experiment with a memorably played set of characters and a well-realised small-scale world with a big message. It’s just a shame the plot and some poor sound and editing choices mean the film never quite matches the smoothness of the titular presence.

Rating: (3.5 / 5)

Also Read: Unsane and the iPhone Revolution

The post Review: Presence – Steven Soderbergh’s Latest Movie Takes A Novel Approach To A Haunted House Thriller appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

We caught up with Mark J Blackman’s to give us his 5 Must-See Sci-Fi Films, which he feels are important in understanding and contributing to the genre, here are his recommendations:

1. PI (1998)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

I don’t think any film has ever succeeded in a more intense juggling act. As far as debuts go, this – for me – is the one. Fusing faith, math, stocks, stock (16mm) and a post-industrial jungle soundtrack from former PWEA boy (one Clint Mansell) the result is pure punk filmmaking of the highest order. A film that I obsessed over and decided would be a terrific first-date film many moons ago. Suffice to say, the success of the date was not a sealed deal. A life-long love of all things Aronofsky on the other hand…

2. TETSUO II: BODY HAMMER (1992)

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

I was far, far, far too young to see this on bootleg VHS when it came out. It repulsed, fascinated and inspired me beyond words, Tsukamoto’s ethic becoming something that I have long since admired. I get a lot of flack for preferring this over the body-horror of his more revered original, but this one has a nauseating control of its audience, pummelling away with its sound and fury as it explores parental paranoia and deformed masculinity in a manner that elevated Tsukamoto from Japan’s DIY Lynch to Asia’s Cronenberg: films about national displacement and isolated identity rather than just pure viscera. Tsukamoto’s themes are – along with Tarkovsky’s – perhaps the most beautifully presented within the genre.

3. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Whilst 2001: A Space Odyssey IS the better of Kubrick’s two forays into science-fiction (how many films are about life itself?), it’s Alex’s journey that I always find the more pressing picture: featuring a structure only ever once almost bettered (Goodfellas), its exploration of unapologetic sadism, deconstruction by the state and un/deserved rebirth is a pitch-perfect horror-show that always tears me up inside as a viewer. A cinematic Molotov, it’s at once a hypnotic, nauseating, humorous, sickening and wonderful ride. It also earns an absolute aesthetic salute from me due to its mesmerising use of stark, scummy brutalism.

4. MIRACLE MILE (1988)

Director: Steve De Jarnatt

I was invited to present an introductory talk on this mostly unsung gem at the amazing Sci-Fi Theatre that runs once a month in London. Actually, let me rephrase that: I strong-armed my way into presenting an introductory talk on a film I have been obsessed with since being utterly terrified of it as a child. I’ve always been a romantic. I’ve also always adored apocalyptic nightmare fuel: fuse them together, add Tangerine Dream’s best score (yes, even over Thief and Sorcerer) and you end up with a film that uses the beating heart of love as the countdown to the ultimate nightmare. Whilst some of the film has not aged well at all (hair. HAIR), Miracle Mile is a real diamond in the dark. Watch at your peril. A huge influence on me and what love stories can be.

5. STRANGE DAYS (1995)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Scripted by Cameron yet directed with a mix of emotion, rage and pitch-black playfulness that I could never imagine him mustering, Strange Days is a perfectly dense 140 minutes of mini-disc MacGuffined, death-squad-promising, immaculately soundtracked neo-noir. An almost-cyberpunk almost-epic that presents a window into what people thought the last days of 1999 were going to be, it’s now a frightening mirror as to what America has almost become: wired into the feeds of others for entertainment, oblivious and/or indifferent to the increased police presence and a progression of race relations that – in the light of the likes of Charlottesville – feels like the country truly needs a thunderbolt from God. Bigelow’s best, hands down.

Mark J Blackman’s own short film, Neon will be released on Wednesday 16th May, available on www.neonshortfilm.co.uk

The post Mark J Blackman’s 5 Must See Sci-Fi Films appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.