by Shane Conto, Staff Writer
How far would you go to bring back someone you love? That question is the core of Bring Her Back, one of the year’s most disturbing films. Danny and Michael Philippou, the brothers from down under, are quite the horrific pair behind the camera on and on the page. Far from the party game gone horrifically wrong in their debut feature Talk to Me, Bring Her Back takes things to the uncertainty of a foster home… where things go horrifically wrong. Step-siblings escape a tumultuous situation in unfortunate circumstances, only to find themselves in a horrific situation. Demonic how-to videos. Flesh eating. Gaslighting. The Philippou brothers have lots up their sleeves.
Bring Her Back doesn’t lean into cheap thrills. It finds horror the HARD way, most notably through brutal body horror. One particularly young character, a mutilated mess of a human, goes through unthinkable torture. What this child does with his mouth will haunt your dreams for weeks. The body morphing and mutilations of the human body will rattle you to the core. Plus, the film features inspired filmmaking, with wild camera work and visuals. The aforementioned how-to videos are some of the most disturbing things you will see in a film this year. They really set the tone from the opening scene.
But the film doesn’t solely deliver traditional horror, as the human elements of this tragic story can be just as haunting. Bring Her Back will rattle you with the harsh themes of illness, abuse, trauma, and manipulation, and you will deeply empathize with this pair of step-siblings. They go through so much, after already having been through so much before the events of the film. Andy (Billy Barratt), the brother, is nearly an adult, and Piper (Sora Wong), the sister is his visually impaired younger sister — they share a poignant connection, making the film’s narrative that much more impactful. But it’s wild how much you feel for their dangerous and unhinged foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins), as well as the possessed child in her possession. What she has been through is devastating, and there is still a scared boy deep inside. Complexities make the cinematic experience even more engrossing.
There are plenty of thematic layers that enrich the screenplay, and the Philippous effectively pull back the layers on the pasts of each of their characters. Three out of four of the main characters have serious layers, making it hard to wholly love or hate them. The film has a great structure, and pacing that hooks the audience, bringing them along for the unpredictable ride. But the biggest struggle with the film is following Laura’s convoluted plan. You must buy in to some seriously weird, illogical, and demented supernatural concepts.
The film has a shocking bit of humor as well. Unexpected and fresh, Bring Her Back avoids using too many familiar beats. It’s demented, shocking… and funny.
But the cast ties this twisted and emotional film together, and Sally Hawkins is the key to the whole experience. She naturally has a kind and quirky presence, and that is warped perfectly in Bring Her Back. You buy into the façade, because Hawkins is so convincing, and has truly endearing and quirky moments. But it is the emotion she brings that makes her character compelling, despite the dark, twisted, and unhinged places her motivations take her. There are a few moments where she is quite terrifying as well.
The young cast members also do a great job. Barratt is solid as Andy, who loves his step-sister, and wants to protect her. Yet he has a darker edge when pushed. Wong is so charming and endearing that you immediately empathize with Piper, but she does have her moments of being a tough one. The nearly angelic younger sister is the real emotional and moral core of the film. And young Jonah Wren Phillips is downright terrifying in this film. There are two sides to his performance: the pain-stricken and fearful child side is rare but still affecting, while the hollow and slowly spiraling side is enveloped in darkness is unnerving to the core.
Thematically similar in their explorations of the dark places humanity will go to reconnect, Talk to Me and Bring Her Back still show a tonal and narrative range for the Philippous. Bring Her Back is darker and more twisted in a way that will shake you to the core. Perfectly placed moments of humor hit, but a weight of emotion and dread showers this film like the rain that becomes such an integral part of the narrative. Strong performances. Shocking body horror. A twisted tale. Relatable themes. Bring Her Back is a satisfyingly horrific concoction.
Rating: Liked It
Bring Her Back is currently playing in theaters
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