Bring Her Back is Scary and Sad in Equal Measure

Stage 6 Films

3.5/5 stars

The Philippou Brothers hit the horror scene hard with their debut Talk to Me. Now they return with a mournful new film Bring Her Back, and much like the former, this film takes what would be a simple story and nearly drowns it in the convoluted nature of its universe's rules. Fortunately, the film is successful thanks to some stylish direction and a stellar performance from its lead actress.

Andy (Billy Barratt) and his blind half-sister Piper (Sora Wong) have their lives turned upside down when they come home to find their father dead on the bathroom floor. Because Andy is under 18, he cannot yet claim guardianship of Piper so they are sent to live with a caretaker named Laura (Sally Hawkins) and her mute nephew Oliver (Jonah Wren Philips) until Andy turns 18. Laura seems to be a friendly and quirky woman but Andy senses something unusual about her. Little do they know, Laura has sinister plans for Piper and she tries to create a rift between her and her brother.

The film's story doesn't break any new ground and if one has seen enough A24-produced horror films, you can easily guess where this story is going. Thankfully, Sally Hawkins gives an inspired performance playing against her usual type. Her performance gives us a look into grief and desperation not seen since Toni Collette in Hereditary. The film is also well-shot and the direction is engaging enough that it works surprisingly well despite what is ultimately a very silly story.

Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou // Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman // Starring Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Philips, Stephen Philips, Sally-Anne Upton, and Mischa Haywood // Stage 6 Films // 104 minutes // Rated R