A brother and sister witness a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Cast: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton
Release Date: May 30, 2025
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Rated R for strong disturbing bloody violent content, some grisly images, graphic nudity, underage drinking and language.
Runtime: 1h 39m
Review:
Danny and Michael Philippou sophomore feature, Bring Her Back, is an impressive upgrade on their much talked about debut film with a more engaging story, better fleshed out characters and a tour de force turn from Sally Hawkins. The twin filmmakers displayed a fantastic eye for visuals in Talk to Me something that's on full display again here as they meticulously frame shot after shot of the increasingly harrowing events. This is more of a slow burn though as the sense of foreboding and uneasiness builds until it spills out in increasingly graphic spurts of gore. Those moments of over-the-top body horror feel a tad unnecessary since the less is more approach might have worked better for this particular story. The psychological aspect of the story makes up the most engrossing angle which would have been better served with some restraint. Still, it’s hard to really quibble too much about it since those moments will have you winching and squirming in your seat just like the directors intended. The story itself seems intentionally ambiguous with very few answers provided especially in regards to the ritual being recreated by Sally Hawkins' Laura. There are just enough breadcrumbs thrown the audience's way to give them an idea of what's going on but never providing a full explanation. It adds an air of unsettling mystery to the whole that plays into the unsettling nature of the traumatic subject matter played to a perfect pitch by the film's central cast. Billy Barratt and Sora Wong make for a strong pair of orphaned siblings dealing with the sudden loss of their father. Barratt brings a strong sense of brotherly protectiveness over his partially blind younger sister. Underneath it though is a pervading sense of shame that adds a layer of depth to his character that makes him far more interesting. Sally Hawkins though is the star of the show as the initially quirky foster mother whose becomes increasingly deranged as the film moves on. She brings so many layers to her broken, crazed character that it’s nearly impossible to take your eyes off her even when she's sporting a Brian May style hair. The three of them work off each other effortlessly create the kind of familial nightmare that's sure to linger long after Bring Her Back credit's roll.
A-
