Bring Her Back is an unpleasant film to watch from start to finish. Despite Sally Hawkins perfectly encapsulating the unsettling nature of a woman tormented by her prolonged grief and guilt, the film was a misfire.

Bring Her Back is the second film written and directed by the Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. Their debut film was a box office hit and critically acclaimed, so many, including myself, were excited to see if this film held a candle to Talk To Me. It seems that it was made exactly how the directors wanted it to be, and I’m a big proponent of artistic freedom, but Bring Her Back is an unpleasant film to watch from start to finish. 

The film begins with a cult performing rituals. Then, it quickly shifts to Andy and his visually impaired step-sister Piper. Their father, Andy’s biological father, died recently in the shower, which has left them orphans. Since Andy isn’t yet 18, he can’t apply to be Piper’s guardian, so they must be put in a foster home. They care deeply for each other and insist they stay together. They are placed in the care of Laura, whose deceased daughter was visually impaired, so she is familiar with how to help with Piper’s situation. They also meet Ollie, the boy who is already living with her. He’s mute and peculiar. It takes about 3 seconds for Laura to start favoring Piper over Andy. She gaslights him and drives a wedge between the two siblings. We soon figure out she is trying to divide them because she is going to use Ollie to reincarnate her deceased daughter Cathy into Piper’s body, and Andy is nothing but a roadblock toward achieving her goal. 

I didn’t experience one positive emotion, a single laugh, or a glimmer of hope throughout the film. The vibe was gruesome dread, and it only got worse as the movie continued. Perhaps this could be attributed to a preference since the dread was intended by the Philippous. Unfortunately, there was nothing new that Bring Her Back did to at least make the angst worth the experience. There are hundreds of movies about the trauma of losing someone or feeling guilty about it, especially in the horror genre. Nothing I saw made it worthy of being included in the canon. In fact, it felt perverse to watch essentially child abuse for an hour and a half and then leave without a satisfying conclusion. The story was weak in most aspects. Andy is the best character, but there isn’t much competition. There isn’t even an interesting twist. In fact, the title spoils the movie. Perhaps the film could have been saved by interesting lore or a deeper explanation of a ritual we see in the opening scene, but nothing is expanded upon. The term “angel” is muttered by Laura, but that is the most we are given.

Even though the story is disappointing, that doesn’t mean there is nothing good about Bring Her Back. The best part is easily the performances. Sally Hawkins perfectly encapsulated the unsettling nature of Laura, a woman tormented by her prolonged grief and guilt. She is the ultimate master manipulator. Even her kind moments are tinged with creepiness. Billy Barratt plays Andy, and he is excellent. There is a definite maturity to his performance. He goes toe-to-toe with Hawkins with ease. He looks and feels like an actual teenager, and it turns out he is. He’s the same age as his character, which adds authenticity to the performance. Jonah Wren Phillips is the young boy who portrays Ollie, the demonic child. He, too, does a great job of being an uncomfortable presence. The other aspect of the film that was good was the makeup work. It looked wickedly nasty and goes hand-in-hand with Phillips’ performance. Sora Wong (Piper) has the least interesting part based on how the story is set up. This is her debut, and she plays the sweet, innocent girl well. I hope there are many more parts for her in the future.

Enjoyment should by no means be the metric of a quality movie. Oftentimes, when a movie struggles in other aspects, we can lean on the feeling we get while watching to counterbalance the negativity, but I can’t do that here. The performances and the makeup are the only positive features I can point to. I commend A24 for allowing the Philippous to have the amount of creative control they do. Not every film has to be revolutionary, but if I must watch children experience horrifying circumstances, it should be worth it, and it wasn’t. Bring Her Back was a misfire, and I hope to one day see the special sauce that Talk To Me had back on the big screen again.

Grade: C-

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters