The New Horror Movie From The Directors Of ‘Talk to Me’ Will Shake And Shock Audiences Everywhere
“This Is Not A Cult” are the first words we see on screen, just as the title sequence commences, giving us a glimpse at how unsettling and gut wrenching ‘Bring Her Back’ is going to be through grainy, archival footage depicting a girl being hanged by her neck in the middle of a chalky, white circle while others stand by, watching, recording, smiling. It’s a ritual. A nightmare meant to make you feel bad as soon as you step out of the theater. A really screwed up one, one only the Philippou Brothers can come up with.
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A Gore-Filled Nightmare
A24’s most recent release, ‘Bring Her Back’, follows a set of step-siblings, Andy (Billy Barrat) and Piper (Sora Wong), who get sent to live with a foster mother, Laura, (Sally Hawkins) after their father dies mysteriously in the shower. It’s obvious that something is off as soon as we enter the secluded foster home, whether it’s Laura introducing the kids to her dead, stuffed dog, talking about her deceased daughter, or the first encounter with Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), her strange, mute nephew, whose appearance she lies about to Piper.
Laura slowly and meticulously puts a wrench in their relationship after catching Andy talking badly about Oliver to a friend on his cellphone. The first instance of this takes place at the father’s funeral when she tells Piper that Andy’s lying to her about what their father looks like in the casket, another being when she punches Piper square in the face while she’s sleeping, blaming it on Andy and the abuse he suffered at the hands of their father, betraying him in the process. Everything pretty much goes downhill from here.
One of the crazier stunts Laura pulls to make Andy feel like he’s losing his mind is peeing in a cup, pouring it on the crotch area of his pants, and making it seem as if he wet the bed. She does this multiple times, and we actually see her do it. I never thought I would watch anything like this in a Cinema, but here we are.
The child actors were quite incredible in this, particularly Phillips’ portrayal of Oliver. He was extremely off putting from the first time he appeared on screen. His eyes felt like they had a thousand yard stare, glaring deep into the soul of each audience member each time he graces the screen. Sora Wong, in her acting debut as the blind, helpless Piper, is lights out as well, because she can hear all the evil that’s going on around her without being able to identify where it’s coming from, putting the audience on edge every step of the way.
WATCH THE TRAILER of the Film and the Revolution: ‘Can I Go Home Now?’
The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
Lacking the comedic aspects of ‘Talk to Me’, ‘Bring Her Back’ unrelentingly gnaws at all of your senses and never lets go throughout the entire runtime. The sound design, especially during some of the horrific, gory sequences will make anyone squirm in their seats.
Oliver bites anything he can stick his teeth into, with Laura hinting at his “hunger” in the first act of the movie, projecting some of the gnarliest gore I’ve ever seen in the Cinema. The practical effects were so good and nasty that I felt myself turning away multiple times, making my stomach flip over and almost nauseating me.
The Philippou brothers are clearly gifted in the technical aspects of filmmaking, especially when it comes to framing, but they get a little too wrapped up in placing horrific images on the screen, sometimes only scratching the surface of the themes they are trying to convey. Sure, shock value is cool here and there but relying on it for most of the scenes doesn’t cut it if the themes aren’t totally fleshed out on screen, as well.
We can tell that Laura feels responsible for her daughter’s death and wants her back, choosing to sacrifice Piper through a ritualistic event in the pool while, now pretty much deformed, Oliver watches. But she stops, realizing what she’s about to do. It feels like we are meant to pity her despite the fact she’s inflicted so much pain on these two children she’s meant to protect as a foster mother. It’s hard to get behind this, making it one of the more head-scratching decisions of ‘Bring Her Back’.
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Recurring Symbols
After their father’s death, Andy tells Piper that everyone who dies gets a plane to heaven, no matter if they got burnt or buried. Piper can’t see the plane he is referencing, but she can hear it. It’s a beautiful interaction in an otherwise dark moment, which only escalates afterwards. The plane comes full circle at the end of the film, after the climactic scene on Laura’s property, when Piper looks up at the sky, towards a plane ascending through the sky, over the clouds. It’s closure in a way, both for her and Andy.
Circles are a common motif throughout ‘Bring Her Back’, starting from the very first scene. It first appears in the archival footage, when we see the cult-like group performing a ritual, then as soon as we get to Laura’s house, the camera pulls back through a circular statue in her driveway. It turns out Laura’s property sits in the middle of a white circle as well, definitely not a coincidence as we see the events play out. The question is, how did Laura find out about this ritual? Something that the audience has to imagine for themselves, rather than being given the answer directly.
The Range of Sally Hawkins
Paddington definitely wouldn’t approve of Mary Brown’s behavior in ‘Bring Her Back’, but that’s a testament to Sally Hawkins as an actor. Underrated and underused sometimes, Hawkins has the somewhat rare ability to star, and be lights out, in movies targeting younger audiences, like ‘Wonka’ and the first two ‘Paddington’ films, and Oscar winning films like ‘The Shape of Water’ and ‘Happy Go Lucky’, showing us the type of range she has. She can give a performance that carries a ton of weight to it, tapping into emotional beats of the narrative, or can give you a fun, heart-warming one for people of all ages to enjoy.
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What To Watch If You Liked ‘Bring Her Back’ (Feel Bad Movies)
‘Talk to Me’ (2023) – directed by The Philippou Brothers/ starring Sophie Wilde
‘LongLegs’ (2024) – directed by Oz Perkins/ starring Nicholas Cage and Maika Monroe
‘Heretic’ (2024) – directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods/ starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East
‘Hereditary’(2018) – directed by Ari Aster/ starring Toni Collette, Alex Wolff
‘Seven’ (1995) – directed by David Fincher/ starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Gwyneth Paltrow
By Aidan Reidy
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Author
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Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
Aidan Reidy is a writer who’s currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in motion pictures screenwriting at the University of Miami. He is passionate about the entertainment industry and enjoys watching most genres. He is interested in every aspect of filmmaking ranging from technical aspects like editing and sound mixing to acting and directing styles. Hollywood Insider’s commitment to substance-filled articles rather than gossip columns attracted him to the website, creating an enjoyable environment for him to write in and aligning with his personal values, as well.
