A supernatural force is present in the house Rebekah (Lucy Liu), her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) and their teenage children Tyler (Eddy Maday) and Chloe (Callina Liang) move into.
Tyler is an elite swimmer and it is at his mother’s insistence to maximise his future prospects that they purchase the home.
Tyler is Rebekah’s favourite and she would do anything for him.
Chloe is the younger, sensitive and empathetic child.
She is in therapy after losing her best friend Nadia, who died in her sleep after an apparent drug overdose.
Nadia was one of two girls who Chloe knew that died in similar circumstances recently.
Soon after Chloe and her family moved into their new residence, she began to sense Nadia’s presence.
Items move in her room and there are sounds.
Tyler and her sister don’t get along. He thinks she has mental health issues.
Tyler’s friend Ryan (West Mulholland ) shows interest in Chloe and makes a move on her.
Chris is concerned about Chloe and wishes Rebekah would pay more attention to her.
Rebekah is involved in some shady dealings and Chris is considering leaving her.
Then, unexpectedly, the entity in the house makes its presence felt to the whole family.
Written by David Koepp, with Steven Soderbergh in the director’s chair*, Presence unfolds through a series of vignettes, peppered with brief blackouts.
Each represents an episode in the family members’ lives.
Another character in the film is the forcefield that is apparent throughout.
That is represented by a handheld camera that moves repeatedly through the home, upstairs and down. It proves to be an effective tool by night and day.
I thought the contention was well established and each character played along effectively.
Lucy Liu paints Rebekah as headstrong and Chris Sullivan is troubled as Chris.
Eddy Maday gives Tyler an air of arrogance, while as Chloe, Callina Liang is empathic.
There is an edge to West Mulholland’s portrayal of Ryan.
I appreciated the slow build up and the denouement that explains what has been going on.
In between, I felt intrigue and a desire to learn more.
The air of mystery kept me involved.
Rated MA, Presence scores a 7.5 out of 10.
*Soderbergh and Koepp worked together on Kimi and Black Bag, the latter of which will be released soon.
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