 I should start by pointing out one significant detail about this film: if you're anything like me and have ONLY gone by trailers, despite some elements within the film, it is by almost no means a horror movie, which is what I thought I was getting into. Often, when it comes to a trailer that feels like it leads me in a different direction, I'm disappointed with the results. I may be more forgiving than others, but it does suck to be excited about a movie, then get something completely unexpected handed to you instead.
In the case of 'Presence,' however, it's a film that didn't deliver what I expected, but in a much more positive and creative way. To be clear, this is one of the trailers I'm referring to, and that's ALL I went in with. Instead of a gripping, edge-of-your-seat thriller as one might expect, the film turns into more of a dysfunctional family drama, and it's all filmed from the ghost's perspective. It's very similar to 'A Ghost Story,' but filmed in POV rather than presenting us with the classic cartoon ghost design of some dude in a sheet. The opening brings you into the film nicely as the ghost looks out the window at what appears to be a very early dawn; the house is still dark as it roams around to a bit of haunting but lovely music. It's reminiscent of the opening to 'Halloween,' but without violence. It's more of a generous tour of the empty house, ending in a bedroom closet, where we can assume this "presence" resides, coming out occasionally to wander. That is until a family of four comes along and moves in. The key player here is daughter Chloe Payne (Callina Liang), who is still grieving over the tragic passing of her best friend, Nadia. While her Dad, Chris (Chris Sullivan), is fully supportive and perhaps the most likable character in the film, her Mom, Rebekah (Lucy Liu), is far too sidetracked by her swim-champ son, Tyler (Eddy Maday) and nurtures him much more. One can say that neither of these characters is likable, but buckle up because I haven't mentioned one particular douchebag yet. As Chloe mourns, she moves into the aforementioned room with the haunted closet and eventually feels the presence of a spirit she believes is Nadia. As the rest of the film unfolds, we see the family go through their motions: the fights, the heartfelt chats, etc. Essentially, the ghost also plays the audience. I've never seen anything like this before, and I was impressed with its overall execution. The trailer prepared me for some good, sharp terror, but I got something a little more heartfelt and relatable, which I appreciated. Back to the "douchebag," a character named Ryan (West Mulholland) eventually comes along, and he's easy to hate right off the bat. If I had beef with this movie, it had to be that character. You ARE supposed to dislike him, much like Rebekah and Tyler, and maybe it's just the kid's acting skills, but he made Anakin in 'Episode II' look like Darth Vader in 'Rogue One.' But I will be fair here enough to say that he was also given some of the cheesiest, dumbest, worst lines in the movie. If the goal was to make him awful, mission accomplished. The flip of genres from trailer to screen will bother some people and probably explains why the RT Audience Meter is significantly lower than the Critic Meter, but I have to side with the critics. I appreciated how this was something from the other side's perspective, allowing the viewer to feel everything the ghost felt while watching different scary, real-life scenarios with living people. That's the beauty of this movie. The scary parts have nothing to do with the supernatural. For me, this was an art piece more than just another movie about a haunting. 4/5
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