Bring Her Back
Bring Her Back
Starring Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips
Directed by Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou
Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) are brother and sister who just discovered their father dead in the shower. Left orphaned, Andy wishes to stay with Piper due to her being visually impaired to the point where she can't see out of her left eye at all, and very weak in the right. Not eighteen, Andy settles being taken in by Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former child psychologist dealing with the death of her daughter while also raising young Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) in her isolated home. Andy and Piper slowly adjust to their new living arrangement, but there's something sinister lurking under the surface involving Laura, Oliver, and a cult that leads Laura to believe she can bring her daughter back from the dead - with terrifying consequences.
"Bring Her Back" has many parallels to different movies, but not in a downright copycat way. Most notably, I felt hints of "Hereditary" sewn within, but again not in a way that makes it feel like it's a soulless copy. Both films center on grief and dealing with immeasurable loss, and both feature award-worthy performances by Toni Collette and Sally Hawkins respectively (although, seeing how Collette was unfairly snubbed of an Oscar nod, I'm not holding my breath to see Hawkins listed, although she more than deserves it). Both aren't downright wholly horror movies but rather dramatic tales of grief that spiral to true horror in their hopes of bringing back those they loved, and the impact they have on those around them. It's equally heartbreaking and chill-inducing, and the Philippou brothers excel on both ends.
Sally Hawkins is best known as an eccentric performer, playing the lovable Mrs. Brown in the first two "Paddington" movies and earning an Academy Award nomination for her role in Guillero del Toro's "The Shape of Water," and this serves as her first horror outing. She uses her established nature as this lovable mother-type figure to full advantage here, making her out at first to be a grieving mother who instantly falls in love with her new adopted children, letting our guards down for the sheer horror that will follow through her hands. She is a truly diabolical woman who harbors no love for her new family, and expertly gaslights Andy specifically to drive a wedge between him and Piper so she can use Piper for her nefarious purposes. It's a performance - like Collette's - that you won't soon forget.
Yet the young actors also get their moments to shine as well, as Billy Barratt, Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips give differing performances that are nonetheless powerful and gripping in their own way. Barratt's Andy sets out to care for his sister, but past mistakes float to the surface that threatens to divide the two, even though he only does what is best for her. He's treated terribly by Laura and gaslit to believe her lies, and you can see the emotional toll it takes on Andy through Barratt's performance.
Sora Wong makes her debut here as Piper, and much like other films (like "A Quiet Place" casting Millicent Simmonds - a deaf girl in real life - to play a deaf girl) she was cast because she endures what her character is going through. She has coloboma and microphthalmia, which left her fully blind in her left eye and very weak vision in the right, just like Piper. Yet more than defined by her handicap, she uses it to deliver a tour-de-force performance that'll elevate her to bigger and better roles in the future. She is one of the most innocent people in the film, and endures Laura's psychological and physical mistreatment as she's pulled away from her anchor in Andy, and manages to make it wholly, completely, utterly believable.
Then there's Jonah Wren Phillips, who plays young Oliver. He's the mystery in the movie, as we don't fully know his purpose until it slowly unfolds, but you know it's nothing good. Phillips has the most daunting role of everyone, enduring physical transformations that sends chills through your spine as he fully takes on the role with extreme gusto, doing things that will be etched in your memory for a long time to come.
While watching "Bring Her Back" you can notice the Philippou touch as there's reminders of "Talk to Me" in the film, but not concerning the story. Rather, the use of practical effects shine and add to the sense of dread and terror instead of being the catalyst for it, like with "Talk to Me." Oliver is enduring some sort of issues that transforms him into something different, much like the kid in "Talk to Me" who ends up in the hospital (if you saw it, you'll know what I mean). Both physical transformations are downright cringe-inducing in the best way, leaving you squirming in your seat. For Oliver, when you finally find out what Laura has planned for him, it'll leave your jaw on the floor.
Delivering four impeccable, awards-worthy performances and a story that slowly divulges its sinister motives, "Bring Her Back" is a fantastic continuation for the Philippou brothers in their horror endeavors, and proves once again that there are amazing original films out there - you just have to know where to look.
The Score: A+
Comments
Post a Comment