Presence simple story told simply

Presence – 2025
Director Stephen Soderbergh
Writer David Koepp
Starring Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Julia Fox, Natalie Woolams-Torres, Lucas Papaelias

Stephen Soderbergh is quietly one of the better directors of his era. He’s been willing to try any type of story with any type of method. In the last century, he would have worked well with William Faulkner. This time, he’s employing a single camera, representing a spirit inside the home that the Payne family just bought.

The spirit seems centered on Chloe (Lang). Chloe seems open to it. She believes it to be the spirit of one of the friends who recently passed away. She has been mourning this friend, much to the chagrin of her mother (Liu) and brother (Maday). Her father is sensitive to Chloe.

Tyler is Chloe’s successful brother. Mom dotes on him. Dad tries to bridge the gap his daughter feels within the family. Meanwhile, the camera focus moves from room to room, giving the perspective of the presence within the house.

How the phantom interacts with Chloe and the family varies. There are times when it moves things slowly. Another time it shakes the house and brings down the contents of a closet. Once it makes the whole room shake. Then in the most crucial moment, it only can send a sense of the void. The evolution to less successful ways to communicate seems only to add tension when the plot requires.

The acting in Presence is adequate. One gets the feeling of a rushed script and filming process. The idea came from a personal experience of the paranormal skeptic director. He and his wife encountered a presence in their home. They named it “Mimi.”

There is nothing technically wrong. He provides some interesting perspectives as he moves the camera as a cinematographer. He moves from room to room wearing rubber soled slippers. This mutes the noise of his steps. There is nothing particularly compelling about the story, though.

So few are the number of characters, it is obvious the moment the antagonist is show on screen. The reveal is too verbose and lacks any real excitement.

This is an interesting approach from a director who is always willing to change his form of direction. Here’s hoping the next film’s script is closer to Black Bag.

(*** out of *****)