“Presence” is a compelling narrative that immerses the audience in the experience of an entity within a home. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the film offers a unique point of view, allowing viewers to engage with events from the perspective of the presence itself. The film, featuring Lucy Liu, premiered on Jan. 24 and explores themes of existence and perception within a confined space. The audience becomes the entity — invisible to the human eye, lurking in the closet — watching the living without any notion of time. Soderbergh, known for his innovative filmmaking, has also directed popular films such as “Erin Brockovich,” “Contagion,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and its sequels; showcasing his versatility across genres.
The film delves into the connection between the living and the dead, time travel, communication with the beyond and the experiences of psychics. In the film, a medium also reveals that these spirits often do not know whether they belong to the past or future and struggle to comprehend their purpose. This ambiguity challenges our understanding of life, death and whatever exists between.
The scenes shift unpredictably, evoking a dream-like quality similar to how we often transition between spaces in our sleep without understanding how we arrived.
At its core, “Presence” focuses on a family seeking a fresh start in a new home. The daughter, Chloe (Callina Liang), is coping with the emotional fallout from her best friend Nadia’s overdose. Meanwhile, her brother Chris (Chris Sullivan) shines as the family’s star. This creates a stark contrast between the siblings, highlighting their differing roles in the family dynamic. As the family settles in, Chloe senses a presence that she believes to be her late friend, but her family dismisses it as grief.
The film’s narrative style heightens the experience with point-of-view (POV) filmmaking, allowing viewers to experience events through the perspective of a character or entity. The camera glides around rooms, moving among characters and creating the sensation of being present with them. The scenes shift unpredictably, evoking a dream-like quality similar to how we often transition between spaces in our sleep without understanding how we arrived.
This storytelling technique recalls iconic moments in cinema. A well-known example of POV filmmaking is found in the opening sequence of John Carpenter’s horror classic “Halloween,” where the camera adopts the viewpoint of a young Michael Myers. Additionally, the found footage horror film “The Blair Witch Project” relies entirely on this style of filmmaking. These approaches create an immersive experience, making one feel as though they are an active participant in the story. This intimate connection to the characters allows for a heightened sense of tension while witnessing their interactions, fears and struggles.
With a cast of eight characters confined to one house, the film fosters an intimate yet isolating atmosphere. The POV technique ensures the audience never leaves this space, making viewers share Chloe’s fears as if they are stuck alongside her. This sense of confinement is key to the film’s eerie mood, and it reinforces the idea that the characters are trapped, not only physically but emotionally as well, haunted by their past trauma.
The film gradually builds tension with its deliberate pacing, maintaining a steady rhythm until the final moments, where several shocking events unfold. These moments are crafted to have a lasting impact, leaving the audience with a sense of dread.
A pivotal moment occurs in the final revelation. In a poignant scene, the only remaining item in the home is a mirror, and the mother’s grief takes a startling turn. This twist introduces a new layer to the narrative, exploring themes of time, identity and the idea of parallel selves.
In addition to its supernatural elements, “Presence” explores how we often ignore warnings about impending disasters, illustrating how pieces of advice can significantly alter the course of our lives. The film poses the question: how often do we fail to heed subtle cues about the dangers around us?
As a fan of the horror and thriller genre, I was captivated by the concept of a person’s future deceased self returning to the past to help a loved one; I found this notion both tragically beautiful and thought-provoking. The transitions between scenes evoke the character’s confusion, heightening the audience’s stress as they embody the invisible entity, witnessing events without intervening, as the dead cannot communicate with the living.
The film’s narrative stayed with me long after the credits rolled, prompting reflection on spirits, dimensions and alternate universes; the idea that if ghosts exist, they might be frustrated at their inability to communicate with us is both intriguing and dark. The film suggests that the boundary between realms may be thinner than we perceive and that our connection to the unknown is only limited by our capacity to acknowledge it. There is a profound sense that the living and the dead are always near if only we are able to recognize them.