The sophomore feature from Danny and Michael Philippou, who impressed many horror fans with the superb Talk To Me, what you have here is something that solidifies their reputation, but also makes it interesting to see what will happen when they move away from the blend of horror and emotional gut-punch that they have now presented to us twice.
Andy (Billy Barratt) is the protective older brother of the visually-impaired Piper (Sora Wong). When their father suddenly dies while in the shower, the two siblings end up in care. It should only be for a few months, as Andy wants to be Piper's guardian when he reaches the eligible age in a few months. The pair end up in the home of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a carer who once had a daughter with the same kind of visual-impairment as Piper. Laura also has mute Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips) in her home, as well as a major secret or two.
Not really a film full of surprises, viewers are clued in to the fact that something is a bit off from the earliest scenes, Bring Her Back is more interested in looking at the lengths that people will go to in order to keep their loved ones alongside them. While Andy and Laura are two very different people, in many ways, they are also two sides of the same coin. Both act as they act out of love for someone, both have are trying to tidy things up after making a bit of a mess (emotionally speaking), and both end up having Piper as the most important person in their lives.
Although not as consistently creepy and unnerving as their previous film, and a couple of traumatic moments feel as if the Philippou brothers may already be showing a bit of a pattern, this is undeniably impressive stuff for those after an original horror movie experience. That's not to say that it is actually all that original, nor will the horror be as effective for some as it will be others, but there has been enough care taken in the writing of the characters that it grounds the entire journey in a very plausible mix of grief, desperation, and madness. It's a very effective remix of familiar elements.
Hawkins is just as good as you'd expect her to be, and seems to relish the role, but it's a relief to see both Barratt and Wong being more than up to the task of sharing scenes with her. All three leads are quite flawless, as far as I'm concerned, and that's essential when the film stays so tightly focused on them for the majority of the runtime. Phillips is also very good, and is the centre of some of the most memorable moments in the movie, and Sally-Anne Upton does well with a minor character who could have very easily been exasperating.
This has the Phillipous at two for two, for me anyway, but the most interesting thing now is to see what they do next. They write and direct well, they get the right people in place behind the camera to ensure great work in the audio and visual department, and they have already given us a couple of real wince-inducing gore scenes, but can they manage to surprise people? That's the question I am hoping to see answered in the next few years.
8/10
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