Presence - Movie Review

Chris Stuckmann reviews Presence, starring Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, West Mulholland. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.

[MARKRebels]

The medium mentioning that spirits experience time differently whether it be the past, the present, and future was a great nugget that prepped us for the ending.

[azza]

The movie was pretty good albeit a slow burn, what I will say is this is NOT a horror movie. The marketing did this a disservice saying it’s the ‘scariest movie of the year’ if you go in expecting scares you’re gonna be disappointed

[xzavierkincy-lowe]

I agree, the father was a standout in the movie. But ending does have you question the entire film.

[bonnacon]

The Lake Mungo shout-out was spot on. It’s a film of the same calibre. The soundtrack is very reminiscent of the one for The Changeling (directed by Peter Medak), which is probably not accidental.

[CaptMidnight]

So, it's more like A Ghost Story?

[marcuswilliams]

The opening 2 minutes with the score of the movie playing while watching thru the lenses of the ghost was so poetic. I knew this movie was is shot through the perspective of the supernatural but that opening scene was just beautiful and really captured the essence of the supernaturals presence in 2 minutes

[shogunrua]

Jeremy Jahns said it best ... "This is not a horror movie."
This is a Supernatural Drama Film about a Family.

[LeePNLB]

You mention Lake Mungo and I'm stoked.

[elijahmucciaccio]

Was fortunate to see it at Tiff back in the fall and got to listen to a Q&A with Soderbergh and the cast afterwards. Easily one of the best movies I saw at the festival and getting to hear how it was filmed was awesome!

[VItself]

Spoilers but this genuinely isn't a horror movie except for the second to last scene when it drops one of the most horrific scenes I've seen in a long time

[nickmendoza]

I just got home from watching it and man, this movie had me dialed in from the start.

I knew what was happening from the beginning but it all didn’t click until the Medium showed up. Once they mentioned time I thought it was one character til I realized why the other room was trashed and it all made sense to me.

Once we got to the climax of the film, and I saw what happened I was saddened knowing I was right.

That final scene with Lucy Lui and her scream just broke my heart, it gave my goosebumps. I know that scream simply because my best friend died 3 years ago and I heard his father give a similar scream as they were taking his casket down the pews.

I instantly recognized it and this movie did its job very well. 10/10 for me and will buy on Blu-Ray

[tysaylorphoto]

Yeah that last minute, with the mirror, gave me full-body chills, and movies don't usually do that for me.

[MARKRebels]

So glad you caught and reviewed this one.
I was so glad to hear “Covet” by Basement and then I was immediately horrified by what I character was trying to do during the song.

[seanrogers]

I thought this film was terrible. The dialogue was cringe-inducing at best (there was a particular monologue towards the end that was so bad I almost left the theater). All the conflict felt contrived, and the performances really didn’t do it for me. Cinematography was innovative but that wasn’t enough to make up for the ham-fisted script. I agree Chris Sullivan was the standout though!

[sircliffordmalcolmjac]

Parents not believing their kids in movies has always been a huge pet peeve of mine!!😬😬😂😂 also, on a lighter note, Lucy Liu has always been my biggest celebrity crush!! And Minnie Driver too!!🤗🤗

[jonathanortega]

Actually this is not a horror film is a supernatural drama thriller

[aaronbryant]

I love the way it was shot from the perspective of the Presence. Giving it the Eastern horror touch was great touch. I really felt connected to this film on how certain individuals are gifted with the ability to sense the supernatural. Myself being able to feel things this hit home hard. I figured it out at the end but Lucy Liu's reaction at the end brought tears to my eyes. So authentic. Great plot, story telling, Great movie. I will be seeing it again.

[MissDeal]

I saw this last night and there wasn’t a single preview. Has this ever happened to anyone? I’m assuming it’s because the theater wanted to pack in as many movies as possible that day during Oscar season?

On another note, I enjoyed this film and the innovation.

[joshcrow]

Excited for this one Chris! Thanks for the review!

[JazzyAnne]

Walking into the theater after watching the trailer for this movie, I was fully expecting to be terrified like a lot of the horror movies that I see. That is the perception the trailer hints at. I was left wondering at many points throughout the movie why there hadn’t been any jump scares, why I hadn’t felt frightened yet. But the ending rocked me to my core and I finally understood the movies meaning. I fell in love with this movie. I highly recommend it.