Bring Her Back is a new film from brothers Danny and Michael Philippou and is distributing wide from A24 this weekend. The film stars Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Mischa Heywood and Sally Hawkins. A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

When Talk to Me released in theaters a couple of years ago, I initially didn’t buy into that hype. I felt like I was still trying to transition back into horror after a dark period with the pandemic. I eventually got around to seeing it. While I do think it was a bit overhyped, I did enjoy it for what it is. I wasn’t completely sold on Philippou quite yet, but I knew I’d still be curious to check it out. Hearing how messed up their follow up was, I figured I’d go see it with a friend who likes horror even more. Even if I found it grotesque, at least it would give us something to talk about, and that it did.

The Philippou brothers rightfully have earned their fanbase. I am just not a part of it. They have a lot of commendable aspects from the way it presents its themes to the way it shows the grotesque horror. There are scene here that truly shook me to my core, but I wouldn’t say it’s over-the-top. Like their debut, this one has a horror tone, but I never quite get scared except for a few effective jump scares. The brothers have a keen eye at presents this story without having to deliver an exposition dump. You naturally learn more through the cinematography & characterization, making this a story that you can easily get invested in, even if it can be redundant at times.

At the lead is actress Sally Hawkins giving one of the best performances of her career. Whenever I think about her past work, I always think about her being a sweet & likable presence. She uses that same energy through the humor to help give the impression she is better than what she is. As time goes on, she slowly begins to unravel. Her actions are truly insane, yet due to Hawkins’ performance, she fully commits to giving a performance of a flawed human being.

At the heart of this story, you can see where this doesn’t quite feel original as the brothers’ debut. The film wears its influences on its sleeve 2022’s Speak No Evil being the biggest comparison my friend and I pointed out. The film manages to have surprises that keeps the story engaging and shocking, but the structure still feels the same. Speaking of structure, I did find the structure to be quite messy as characters are magically able to teleport from location and location. The structure also creates a lot of plot holes that are abundantly clear and doesn’t work as much as it likes to think it does.

I personally thought the plot holes were just something I wasn’t catching. I wasn’t the only one as my friend felt the same way. There are a lot of great aspects, but it ends up leaving more questions than answers. The film does a great job at presenting the fallout of when we try to get something back that we never can. The problem is that there are many variables added to the story that unfortunately do not go anywhere. I’d even say the given plot holes never make me want to rewatch this even though I did like it.

The ending, while intense, leaves a lot to be desired. It makes it point clear, but it does make me wonder how much longer the Philippou brothers can keep making films like that tackle trauma. The ending makes the point that trauma is bad, but doesn’t say much about what these characters learn from it. The themes are clear. There’s just nothing to take away from it. Only one of the brothers is credited as a writer. They each share strong direction between what they want visually and what they want from the characters. They just need something more out of the writing.

While the film may have its flaws, I do have to point out how much I enjoy the supporting cast. I could strong identify with the brother, played by Billy Barratt. He makes a strong case as becoming a great up-and-coming actor. Sora Wong presents a lot of emotion with her performance and I enjoyed how many misdirects there were with the character. Lastly, Jonah Wren Phillips is unreal as the kid who already lives with the foster mother. The young actor shows real promise at being a physically commanding presence in future projects.

Overall, there is a lot to admire with Bring Her Back. Each character has their reasoning for their flawed personalities. Every actor is great with Sally Hawkins giving one of the best performances of her career. The Philippou brothers continue to showcase their talents and what they can bring to the horror genre, but I’d like to see them go into different themes other than trauma. I wouldn’t say it’s a movie you need to see; however, if you do, I think you will find something to enjoy, or at least memorable, here.

VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)