The Wasteland Reviewer

Presence (2025) Written Review

What would it feel like to be a ghost? There is indeed a film coming your way that will put you into the shoes of a supernatural presence. This film presents the whole film from the POV of a ghost or apparition which navigates its home that now houses a tumultuous family. This seems like quite the cinematic trick or gimmick that Soderbergh is tackling but in the hands of such an auteur…it was never going to feel like a hollow gimmick. This is a story about a family of four moving into a house that just so happens to have a ghost living inside which connects with the teenage daughter. A genre flick mixed with a rich familial drama sounds like a winning concoction. 

Does the filmmaking approach feel well executed by Soderbergh? Like many of his films before Presence, Soderbergh can nail exactly what he is going for. From the opening shot and sequence, this presence gets the lay of the land when it becomes conscious inside. One of the most impressive aspects of this visual approach is that it never feels like it is missing or lacking. There is confidence in how this film is crafted but unexpectedly. The POV camera never fails in its execution and keeps to the rules that were established early in the film. This voyeuristic and uncomfortably proximity makes the film feel that much more unnerving. Soderbergh does his own cinematography, and you can tell there is some dynamic work going on. The movements of the camera are precise and engrossing from start to finish. Between the lurking feel of the camera work and the richly emotive score from Zack Ryan, Presence fully engulfs the audience in its eerie atmosphere. 

The technical aspects come to play for sure, but does David Koepp’s script deliver as well? The elements of the script that will certainly last with the audience most are the twisting elements of the narrative. Some of the foreshadowing is a tad on-the-nose and blunt but when the film navigates its way into the third act, it has some shocking revelations about some of its characters including the true nature of the “presence”. The other big driving force of the film is the familial dynamic on display. This father/mother plus two teenage child dynamic is inconsistent. The central protagonist, Chloe (Callina Liang), is an empathetic and traumatized young woman who grieves the loss of a friend. Things are not going so well in this family, especially between the husband and wife. There are some hanging threads that feel extraneous and hanging by the end of the film. Chris Sullivan portrays the husband/father, and this character is the most engaging and empathetic character as he both struggles to take ownership of his life and is the driving force trying to keep this family together. The mother/wife and son (Lucy Liu and Eddy Maday) are honestly quite unlikeable, and the woman of the house especially has some strange perspectives and motivations that are off-putting. Throw in some cliched elements like a psychic and you have yourself a good old-fashioned haunting film. 

The camera might be the most centralized performance but does the cast deliver as well? Sullivan is by far the most standout performer in the film. He brings a saddest underneath the surface that makes him even more empathetic. He brings such a charming feel to this character and that shines through the most in his dynamic with his onscreen daughter. Speaking of…Liang is a strong presence in the film as well. The mixture of rebellious attitude and pain is a nice combination that Liang balances well. Maday and Liu are given a lot less to work with in the film and deliver performances that are a little “big” for what is necessary. But the “biggest” performance which gets a bit distracting is from West Mulholland who is the son’s friend who develops a relationship with Chloe. There are some seriously intimate scenes between Mulholland and Liang and his energy feels a little off. 

Is Presence that next dynamic and engaging experimental film from Soderbergh? From a technical standpoint, Soderbergh delivers on all accounts. This “gimmick” transcends being a gimmick and feels like a bold and engaging storytelling experience. There are enough narrative elements that deliver as well with a few strong acting performances that stand out as well. The script is clunky at times and might not follow through on all accounts but it packs enough tension and emotion to keep the audience engaged for the 85-minute runtime.