A Compelling Dance with the Unknown: Presence
Presence is the story of a family who arrives to live in what seems to be an ordinary house in a nice suburban neighborhood only to learn that somebody, or something may be lurking nearby. The plot line sees an increase in the oddities as the family disintegrates, confronted with what lies in the intercourse of the spiritual world in its new home. Supernatural occurrences occur with a carefully constructed clockwork to pull the audiences into a theme that is pegged on suspense, terror, and mounting tension.
In its more profound sense, Presence embraces themes of fear, loneliness and the unexplained. I was impressed to see how deceptive suburban pleasantries and the terrifying things hidden behind them are opposed here. The mood of the movie is suspense filled and dramatic allowing the audience to feel constantly on edge besides making the audience think about issues to do with belief in the supernatural.
The leading female actor, Lucy Liu wonderfully portrays the female head of the family, her acting balances fear and courage, anger and despair as she gives a believable performance that makes the film more realistic. The main characters are Lucy and her supporting characters well portrayed by Julia Fox and Chris Sullivan. Every character undergoes thorough characterization that provides the audience with a reason to care about what happens to them or at least who they are. Soderbergh has directed this film in a very human way despite the horrific elements involved making the film personal if not quite universal. It is worth mentioning that he successfully built tension throughout the movie without relying on horror cliches.
The music in Presence is effective without being intrusive, it added to the films atmosphere without dominating it. Compelling original scores interlink with the visuals, and the spooky aura is strengthened by pragmatical lighting and compositions. Shadows are in sharp focus especially because framing the scene is used to portray a supernatural feel. They are individual plot telling scenes here, that gradually pull the watcher into the darkness.
Every scene of the movie is intentionally pre-orchestrated, so its feature of supernatural becomes tangible. A focus on realistic environments in the suburban home makes the creepiness of subsequent events believable and believable.
Eyebrow effects are used only in moderation but nevertheless give the film an element of supernatural threats. The effects employed are artistic and are integrated well; they make Presence even more mysterious in narrative style.
Editors have timed Presence so as to keep the suspense built up as the characters’ come alive in telling their stories. Pacing between the scenes seems natural and helps in development of tension which is really important for the horror subgenre.
It has a measured flow, which progressively develops both POVs of can and protagonist – thoughtful moments and those with active supernatural happenings. There is a gradual establishment of suspense and tension and that does not leave audiences feeling like they have been bored.
Dialogues used in Presence are deliberately written to create tension and also to create characters, unlike in most films in that genre. Thus, it helps to connect the mythological with the domestic that gives some reality even to the fantastic.
One of the major strengths of the show, Presence may lack originality in the perception of some viewers as it seems to mirror the cliches of the haunted house films. However, it provides the familiar setting with fresh execution and character development that makes it a breathe of fresh air as far as the horror genre is concerned.
Presence is a different take on the relationship between family members strained by supernatural occurrences. With aspects of drama and horror embedded into its structure it provides the spectator with an experience which is memorable in the best possible way that the impact sustains itself after the film is over. The strong feeling and the good build-up make Presence loved in the supernatural horror category.
