Following their collaboration on tech-thriller Kimi, director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp reunite with Presence, an audacious experimental supernatural drama told from the point of view of a ghost observing family life in the modern day. On the surface, it could be described as Paranormal Activity meets Personal Shopper as it blends spooky shocks with themes of grief. Yet, dig a little deeper and it has more in common with a Japanese ghost story in its contemplation of societal anxieties, and in turn parental fears, in the digital age.
Soderbergh plays the spirit, using elegantly shot long-takes on his digital camera to guide the viewer around a newly purchased house (sold by Julia Fox as a real estate agent) and to bear witness to intimate family moments. Lucy Liu and Chris Sullivan play mum and dad to two teens Chloe (an outstanding performance by Callina Liang) who is grieving the loss of her best friend and Tyler (Eddy Maday) a champion school swimmer. They are joined by Tyler’s friend Ryan (West Mulholland) and psychic Lisa (Natalie Woolams-Torres) and her husband.
Visually Soderbergh also mimics the use of GenZ wide-shot selfies which could speak to the malevolent force of social media and its toxic influence when used recklessly. Or it could be interpreted as a critique of the way in which technology gives means to be constantly surveilled by devices from what should be the safety of our homes. To go into much more detail would be to give the game away but this is a film that uses its POV technique to deliver a palpably nasty twist about manipulation and power in the wrong hands. It’s a twist that didn’t necessarily have to be so convoluted for it to work but it certainly didn’t take away from the building dread at the centre of the film and the formally daring thrill of it all.
The emotional stakes and family dynamics are brought to life with great observational humour; a drunk mum declaring her undying love for her son or a dad rolling his eyes at stupid comments. But there’s also deeply felt melancholy in the quieter moments between father and daughter. The strong performances from the small cast and the haunting visuals make Presence a genuinely unsettling and tragic ghost story.
Presence is out in cinemas now