Aaron Ploof
Bring Her Back is the second feature film from Directors Danny and Michael Philippou, following their 2022 hit debut, Talk to Me. The latter film received worldwide acclaim, grossing $92 million against a budget of $4.5 million, and became A24’s highest-grossing film to date. It told an allegorical story about addiction and the dangers of drug abuse. Bring Her Back attempts to recapture that success in a less allegorical, yet still spiritual horror film.
However, where its predecessor succeeded in capturing the audience’s attention through an immediately raw and powerful presentation, Bring Her Back instead engages in a slow burn. The actors all give strong performances, and it does eventually find its rhythm. However, Bring Her Back simply doesn’t have the same staying power as the duo’s former project.
Something’s Wrong with Laura
The film opens with a striking prologue. Someone is performing weird rituals. A woman has been hanged, and a dead body rests nearby, killed by suicide. How this relates to the main narrative, we are not informed of. Instead, the scene concludes, and we are introduced to the film’s lead characters.
Our protagonists are brother and stepsister Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (newcomer Sora Wong). Andy is fiercely protective of his sister. Doubly so because she suffers from a visual impairment that allows her to see only colors and shapes. After their father takes an unfortunate slip in the shower, the two siblings are taken in by a foster mother, Laura (The Shape of Water’s Sally Hawkins).
Laura is immediately off-putting to Andy. One, for the immediate favoritism she shows to Piper. Two, for the other young child she houses, Oliver (Jona Wren Phillips), who remains curiously mute. She also seems to be in the throes of grieving, mourning over her recently drowned child, Cathy (Mischa Haywood). As Laura tells Andy, she would do anything to hear her child call her “mum” one more time. And indeed, she will do anything, as both Andy and Piper find themselves caught in Laura’s plan to resurrect her daughter.
Strong Performances Across the Board
Barratt and Wong are immediately believable as brother and sister. They’re easy characters to root for, and their relationship is touching. While I am critical of the movie’s initially slow pace, it does an excellent job of establishing character relationships between these two leads. Furthermore, both actors’ performances are mostly strong. Barrat is able to channel protective older brother energy to Piper very well, though it would have been interesting if he were to add some frustration into the mix. Wong, though, is excellent, considering that this is her first acting gig. The actress playing her is visually impaired, so I imagine her character’s struggles come from an authentic place.
As Ollie, Phillips plays a level of desperation that always draws attention, no matter what disturbing act his character is taking part in. These scenes are intense and grisly, hitting hard and evoking both disgust and sympathy. The audience’s curiosity will also be raised. Why does Laura treat him so peculiarly? And why is she so protective of him? What is his purpose in her plan?
But the biggest stand-out is Hawkins, who sells both her character’s crazy and overbearing nature, as well as her determination. As she drives a wedge between Andy and Piper, you will grow to hate her. Having never been a parent, I can’t say I related to the mourning of her child, but I did believe her motivations.
Pacing Problems
And yet, I never empathized with her. This isn’t a weakness of the actor, but rather of the script. Laura is unlikable from the outset. She invades Andy’s privacy and forces him to do strange things. Also, her laser focus on Piper is off-putting. I would have appreciated a build-up to Laura’s eccentricities, rather than a full display from the get-go. Providing viewers with what seems like a sympathetic character from the outset, rather than what is clearly a villain, would have enriched the experience.
On the other hand, while the character reveal was too quick, the revelations seemed slow. A long time passed before anything substantial came to light. Additionally, when answers do pop up, not everything is explained. This can be a boon in a horror film, and I think it was done correctly here. However, I feel the need to warn viewers that numerous events in this film require inference. Many aren’t directly told to the audience.
Something Deeper
What makes this less impactful of an experience than Talk to Me, though, is in how it is delivered. Possession films are in abundance, but how many movies are out there where possession is caused by the grabbing of an embalmed hand? And though both films open with a disturbing prologue, the previous movie leaves a stronger question lingering in the mind: how does this murder and suicide lead back to the film’s main narrative? Bring Her Back eventually reveals a narrative link to the initial moments of the film, but these are perfunctory at best.
Furthermore, while one can read the previous film allegorically, there’s not much thematic material to chew on here. What is here (Parent/Child/Sibling abusive relationships, grief, trauma, the need to accept death) are worthwhile themes. However, they don’t seem to be asking any sort of question or making any statement. Compare this to another A24 film, such as Hereditary, where definite questions are raised about free will, and one sees where Bring Her Back falls short. While it could be said Talk to Me didn’t offer profound questions or statements either, at least it added allegorical levels.
Let’s End on a Good Note
Overall, much of it comes down to viewer taste. Talk to Me grabs you and doesn’t let go. Bring Her Back takes its time before fully engaging you, but then delivers on its initial promise. Also, the former film ends on a debatably more original note, though I would argue both films’ conclusions are chilling. In the end, I enjoyed Bring Her Back, but it was less focused, tight, and to the point than the director duo’s last work.
