A very original film with an unusual point of view.

• Originality factor: ★★★★★
• Psychological factor: ★★★★★
• Supernatural factor: ★★★★★
• Ghost factor: ★★★★★
• Social themes factor: ★★★★★

Presence is a unique film that takes a unique and original point of view. Told from the viewpoint of a presence in a house with its new inhabitants this film creates a story like you have never seen before. It stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland. It is directed  by Steven Soderbergh, written by David Koepp and cinematography by Steven Soderbergh.

Duration: 84 minutes.

Plot

The film starts with the camera walking through an empty house. Then the camera looks out of the window and sees the realtor coming in. She shows a family, mother Rebekah, father Chris, daughter Chloe and son Tyler around. They buy the house and the camera keeps following them. We see them having marital problems, discussing problems at work. Chloe is struggling because she has just lost her best friend Nadia to an drugs overdose. And Tyler is doing well at school and sports, but he turns out to be a nasty bully. On top of that Rebekah is doing something illegal at work. And Chris is desperately trying to fix his family. 

Meanwhile Tyler befriends Ryan who later on becomes Chloe’s boyfriend. He’s very kind and loving, but it all seems too good to be true. When some things happen that are not okay, the Presence is there to help Chloe and is therefore noticed by her. She tries to convince her family that there is something in the house with them and she is convinced it’s her friend Nadia. They call in the help of a medium who tells them more about the Presence. But is it Nadia or someone or something else and is it benevolent or not? The truth reveals itself with an ending of redemption. 

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Short Review

We all witness these conversations and actions like we are the invisible person in the room. And that is in fact actually the case. The camera functions as the fifth person in the room, the Presence. At first when the film starts it all feels a bit amateurish. A camera that is walking through the house, with no particular filter, feels more like a home camera that shows all the footage in a more raw way. 

But then you come to understand that the camera functions as the “eyes” of the Presence in the house. A Presence who watches them, hears their most private conversations, sees them when they are alone. The further the story comes along the more this camera/ Presence starts to feel like a real entity. The way it reacts at certain things, the way it stands a bit closer to watch what they are doing, the way the Presence hides in Chloe’s closet for comfort, it all creates the existence of a real being with real emotions and reacts very primary.  Suddenly the camera isn’t the camera anymore, but the main character. A character we know nothing about, we don’t even know if it’s a he or a she, how it looks like, who it was, how it died and why it stayed. 

When they bring in a psychic, Lisa, she tells them a bit more. According to her it is confused. It doesn’t know where it is or even when it is. Because time moves differently for ghosts. There is no linear timeline, not a definite past, present or future, everything blurs together. 

The interesting part is that it doesn’t need more than the camera movements, for the Presence to become a real person, just like in a video game. But it also works very well in this film to bring alive this Presence. Although the Presence is confused we can see that it cares very much for Chloe and even protects her. It strongly dislikes Tyler. And Chloe is convinced it’s Nadia. But the twist turns out very differently than expected. 

The film has masterful camerawork and cinematography. There’s hardly any music and it all feels very realistic. The conversations feel real and unfiltered, mundane even, like you’re watching unfiltered reality tv. Like the way a found footage film would show. That can also make it a bit boring. The pace is slow and nothing much happens. It is all set inside the house, the place where the Presence is attached to. 

There are also a lot of themes that are addressed. Chloe’s grief, but also her mental instability. Drug abuse by teenagers. Teenagers who want to be seen, who feel alone. How parents deal or rather don’t deal with it. A toxic teenager who behaves very badly especially towards women. Seeking redemption, sacrifice and values are big themes. Trying to save a marriage, fixing your family or trying to protect yourself from bad behaviors from a spouse are also domestic themes that play a big part. Nothing is really outspoken, but the conversations Chris has with Chloe are endearing and very touching. And in the end the tables have turned. Chloe wasn’t mentally unstable at all, she was just grieving, Rebekah who always was so well put together is falling apart. And Chris has to be the rock for his family. While Tyler makes amends. 

For a film in which nothing much happens at first glance, it does say a lot between the lines. It discusses a lot of important themes, emotions and social issues. It’s mostly what you don’t actually see, what is not being said or done, that can make a difference in understanding people. The Presence itself is a perfect example. 

Presence is a unique and very clever film that says a lot about lots of issues, but you just have to really listen, to really watch to understand how complicate things can be even if they seem straightforward and simple.