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The Reel Review

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Four family members struggling with unresolved trauma discover a ghost is among them after they move into a two-story house in the suburbs. Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan (This is Us) and Callina Liang (Bad Genius) star in this supernatural mystery/thriller from director Steven Soderbergh.

Callina Liang in Presence

Shown only from the perspective of the ghost inhabiting the house, Presence offers up just enough clues in its brief, hour and a half of vignettes to stoke curiosity. The cleverly constructed story from prolific screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, War of the Worlds) centers around the teenage daughter Chloe (an excellent Liang) who has had two close friends die recently. The ghost leaves Chloe signs to let her know it is in her presence.

Lucy Liu in Presence

Those looking for traditional, jump scare horror will be disappointed – Presence is more of an unnerving and spooky slow burn with dizzying camerawork (that ghost moves fast), but even as most viewers figure out the twist, suspense still builds as to what will happen next. Those who appreciate good storytelling and an increasing sense of dread will find this modern-day Poltergeist a hauntingly good time.

REEL FACTS

Presence was filmed inside a house in Cranford, New Jersey in just three weeks, and without any closeups.

• Despite positive reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, some viewers walked out due to the film’s intensity.

• Steven Soderbergh’s directing credits include several big hits – 1989’s Sex, Lies and Videotape, 2000’s Erin Brockovich and the crime drama Traffic (for which he won a Best Director Oscar) – and more recently, several stinkers: the last two films in the Magic Mike trilogy, Kimi and Unsane.

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