Presence (2025)

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (The Ocean's Trilogy, Erin Brockovich, Contagion) returns to the big screen with a simple tale about one suburban family which has just moved into a new home....only to find out that they might not be alone. :o Not only that but they each have their own share of personal issues, mostly depressed teenager Chloe (Callina Liang) who has suffered a recent personal tragedy and ends up being the focus of the story.  This film has been promoted as an intimate "ghost story" but it is as much a family drama...and let's leave it at that.  The rest of the cast includes Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, and Eddy Maday.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

PRESENCE – 2025

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Starring Callina Lang, Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Eddy Maday, West Mulholland, Natalie Woolams-Torres, and Julia Fox

Genre: Ghost Story/Domestic Drama

I'm SO glad that I came into this movie pretty blind except knowing that it was Soderbergh's first theatrical release in seven years, Lucy Liu was in the cast, and it had been broadly described as a "ghost story." :o And that's a solid starting point because....well it simply worked for me. Chilling and absorbing with mostly excellent performances, this movie had me for its entire 85 minute runtime.

I say "mostly" because there was one particular character (and one performance) which almost took me out of the movie....and I’ll get that individual in a bit but fortunately David Koepp's (Panic Room, Carlito's Way, Soderbergh's recent gem Kimi) tight screenplay retains the proper focus through the end. The story primarily focuses on one family which has recently moved into a new suburban home....not long after they have been affected by tragedy. The family is comprised of Rebekah (Lucy Liu in a sterling performance), her husband Chris (Chris Sullivan), and their two teenagers: jock-bro Tyler (Eddy Maday), and beleaguered/depressed Chloe played by Calliana Lang in likely this film's standout performance. 

This is a seemingly upscale, well-to-do family but as we gradually learn, they have some significant personal issues. :o Not the least of which is the sense that they are not alone in this house....and this so-called "presence" seems to only be exacerbating matters rather than pulling them all closer together. Bottom line is that despite some adeptly creepy camera work by Soderbergh (once again his own DP) and an effectively haunting score from Zack Ryan, this is as much of a chamber drama as a ghost story....this is NOT Paranormal Activity even though if it does give off a very voyeuristic vibe for much of its runtime.

As to whether you will be affected by the driving narrative which is mostly presented incrementally (there are definitive breaks and some time jumps between each scene), mileage may vary. Tonally, it has the same type of cold, unforgiving vibe as Soderbergh's recent underrated thriller Unsane - we're not meant to like every character though at the very least, they feel real. 

Best Needle-drop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Probably the most conventional aspect of this film is the aforementioned score by Zack Ryan who is an up-and-comer out of Tarzana, California with a relatively short filmography, mostly TV movies including the “A Christmas Prince” trilogy?  This is not to say that it’s BAD by being conventional….no actually quite the opposite and it’s a pretty effective, moody orchestral score very much aligned with the unsettling tone of the movie overall….in fact, the score does some of the heavy lifting when it comes to tone. (Audio clip) 

It's got a familiar sound to it, not that far removed from some Jerry Goldsmith scores for various ‘90’s thrillers including previous episodes Malice or Basic Instinct….and that’s not a bad thing either, those were pretty punchy, suspenseful scores themselves.  For me, the musical highlight is a theme which SEEMS to follow one particular character throughout the film – it’s an effective mix of piano keys and strings, straightforward and elegant….even kind of hummable.  This track is called “Still Here.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

West Mulholland plays Ryan who is a friend to Tyler and becomes sort-of-more-than-a-friend to Rebekah….young actor who doesn’t have many credits, there’s definitely some potential there but I have to say that his character JUST gets to be a bit much.  Not sure if it’s more the writing or performance but a couple of moments with his character just kind of took me out of the movie even though everything surrounding him grounded it enough to still work overall….I might have to revisit this but it just kind of nagged at me as to what they tried to accomplish with this character.  He’s borderline cliché, almost out of a ‘90’s teen horror movie along the lines of Scream.  A bit over-the-top, I’ll just leave it at that….

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

This film has NO shortage of signature moments which are almost entirely based on either camera trickery or just clever editing – it IS a ghost story after all, more often unnerving to watch than full-on scary.  There’s ONE moment about half-way through which I will try not to spoil too much…let’s just say that it got a very emotional reaction out of me and it involves orange juice.  

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Last I checked, this Oscar-winning auteur from Atlanta, Georgia has had MORE films of his reviewed on this very podcast than any other director…..and for good reason too.  Since his breakout indie phenomenon thirty-six years ago with Sex Lies & Videotape – crazy that we haven’t done a review on that one but it WILL come – The Soderbergher has directed 34 feature films.  From his pair of historical epics chronicling the life of Che Guevara to the blockbuster Ocean’s trilogy to smaller gems like previous episodes The Limey and Kimi, he has done it ALL building a prolific filmography spanning a variety of genres, sizes, and scales.  Always innovating with different techniques and embracing such diverse talent for his casts, I have just come to expect a certain level of quality from Steve and as he does here, he does not disappoint with a newer, more personalized take on the modern haunted house thriller.  For proving once again as to WHY he remains my favorite living director, Steven Soderbergh is the MVP. 

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

It’s not peak Soderbergh but I personally felt enough to latch on to and seeing this in Dolby with very crisp sound only enhanced the experience. Solid recommend overall and if you DO enjoy it after hearing this review, be grateful that I gave so little away. 

Now Playing in Theaters

And that ends another PARANORMAL review!