Australian director brothers Danny and Michael Philippou had a breakout horror hit with Talk to Me two summers ago. I felt at that time that I must have been the only person in the world to not enjoy that film, but the conversation around it has evolved since. I’d venture to guess that the conversation around Bring Her Back, the Philippou brothers’ follow-up to their 2023 indie sensation, will also evolve over time. However, I’m a much bigger initial fan of this film. It has the same kind of smart, moody cinematography which again invites us into a similarly terrifying world, but this time, the story actually endears us to the characters instead of being just plain sad, elevating the themes of the picture, even if it isn’t anywhere near a perfect movie.
Piper (Sora Wong) and Andy (Billy Barratt) are two teenage step-siblings left bereft of guardians after the accidental death of their father. They are sent to live with Laura (Sally Hawkins), their new foster mother. Legally blind, Piper is often protected by Andy, and Andy, being nearly old enough to be her guardian, is miffed that he is not allowed to fully care for her. Most stepmother-focused horror films would take a different tack in introducing us to the villainous guardian in question, but Bring Her Back lets Laura appear wildly unfit from the very beginning. This would bother me if she wasn’t played by an actor as talented as Hawkins, who gives Laura this deliciously dicey, slithering quality without ever being too obvious. Laura does some absolutely inappropriate things from the very start, including but not limited to making Andy kiss his father’s corpse at the funeral and throwing an alcohol-fueled house party for the three of them.
Laura also has another foster child named Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), a mute, unhealthy-looking boy, slightly younger than Piper. This is another plot point which could have come off more obvious than it does while you’re watching it unfold. Like Hawkins’ performance, the execution of this part of the film saves it from coming off more like the deficit of originality it is on paper. Part of this is because Phillips’ committed, truly scary performance and physical presence, but also because so many of the practical effects involved in what Oliver does and the pain he inflicts on himself are so well-crafted. I would love to see an in-depth making-of piece on this film. Rarely are practical horror effects so memorable and groundbreaking these days.
Wong and Barratt are solid in their respective roles as well. This is easily one of the best ensembles of child actors I’ve ever seen in one film. As Laura’s actions and Oliver’s reactions ratchet up the tension, all characters converge in an absolutely gripping third act. Where Talk to Me sort of fell apart for me on an emotional level and became simply much more sad than any kind of scary, Bring Her Back gives us a frightening, more far-reaching look into grief and the mental health issues it can cause. To describe Laura’s real mission would be to spoil the whole movie, but suffice it to say she needs these kids in order to achieve it. When all is revealed, we’re left with an eerie emptiness which seemingly seeks to initiate a conversation about how we respond to personal emotional crises in this day and age. Though it’s not quite timeless, Bring Her Back feels like it has the power to stop time through its immediacy and genuinely unforgettable frights. | George Napper
