Presence is a film that was released initially in 2024 at the Sundance Film Festival, but had it wide release this weekend. On a quick side note, it’s crazy how long it takes for certain films to be publicly available after a debut at a film festival. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Trilogy, Logan Lucky) and written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Secret Window), the film stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, and Callina Liang. The plot revolves around a family who moves into a suburban home and becomes convinced they’re not alone.

Soderbergh happens to be one of the biggest names in film working right now, and yet, he continues to make smaller independent films. His ability allows him to release movies once, sometimes twice, a year. He already had another film with David Koepp as writer coming out in about 2 months titled Black Bag. What’s so surprising is how he continues to create something new, fresh, and exciting. I can already see this not being for everyone as it’s not as horror as the promos would like you to think; however, it’s Soderbergh’s ability to create something that mimics the horror tone for this family drama.

Lucy Liu is an underrated actress, and she’s great here, but seeing Chris Sullivan act as her husband was quite surprising. The actor is 12 years younger than the actress. Even though the couple’s marriage in the film is strained due to Liu’s character committed something illegal, there is something familiar between the fictional husband and wife. Some may be familiar with Sullivan’s work on This Is Us. It’s great to see Sullivan get some bigger work, especially with the like Liu & Soderbergh. Liu & Sullivan act completely in sync and totally believable as a couple. That’s why it’s even more convincing to believe what this couple goes through, making it easier to sympathize with their situation.

Many viewers will tell you this is not at all what you’d expect from a movie like this. My best suggestion is to keep it that way. I heard the film’s true format before I saw it. While it’s not the film’s major twist, it’s unique approach took the surprise of the film’s format away from me. Since the film follows a strict format throughout, there are a lot of one-take shots, showing how much time Soderbergh spends with his talent to create authentic performances, all while allowing the cast to fully memorize their dialogue. The camera work is also quite seamless and never misses a beat. This approach may not be for everyone as it doesn’t answer all the questions, but the film ends on a note that gives you more than enough to piece the rest together.

One major standout in the film is star Callina Liang, who plays as the couple’s teenage daughter. I can see Liang’s career taking off after this. It’s great to see a talented actor or actress who’s career will take off when they haven’t been in anything major. From what I can see, she has a few credits under her belt. Truthfully, she is the film’s major character. Without her, the film’s thematic messages don’t work. The way she displays anxiety & emotion is deeply authentic.

Liu’s character as her mom is more obsessed with her brother, Tyler, played Eddy Maday. It doesn’t seem like his character is as important as you would think. Liu’s character treats him as some sort of god, and it can get weird with how much she treats him like a surrogate husband. When the true reality of his character comes into play, it will make you reevaluate everything you saw, especially with the way he treats his family and how his family treats him.

The way this film concludes literally had my jaw on the floor. I didn’t want to accept it, and that’s something that will also turn people off. While the twist does work for its story and themes, the reality of the fallout doesn’t make as much sense. There’s so much that’s open in the air that the family manages to piece together. I guess it is believable, but I also think the film could have spent more time showing that fallout. I would have loved to have seen how the family reacted to it all. The ending not only had me almost in tears, but it made me want to rewatch it as it made me view the film in a brand new perspective.

Overall, Presence won’t for everyone, even those looking for a simply ghost horror story. To me, this felt like director Steven Soderbergh utilizing his past techniques as a filmmaker to create something new and exciting that’s fitting for the film’s story. The twist is amongst one of the best one’s I have seen in recent memory. In the end, it will probably give you emotional damage, but it also probably wouldn’t have been possible without the film’s talented cast and tremendous camera work.

VERDICT: 4/5 (Great)