Directors: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Writers: Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman
Stars: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong
Synopsis: A brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.
Are Danny and Michael Philippou OK? I’m asking because, in interviews, they’re the biggest goofballs around, having the time of their lives promoting their latest movie, Bring Her Back, with their fellow cast members. Then, you sit down in the cinema and watch as they inflict massive amounts of psychological damage, simply by crafting some of the most harrowing, traumatizing scenes of violence you will ever find in a mainstream movie. Though some will argue that Bring Her Back is as independently produced as their first film, Talk to Me, A24’s status as an Oscar-winning distributor puts it in the mainstream conversation.
I can count on one hand the horror films I’ve seen in a cinema, in the past two years, that did some active damage to me, where I couldn’t do anything but sit and feel deeply unwell after having seen them: Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms, David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds, and now RackaRacka’s Bring Her Back. It’s a deeply unpleasant experience that, in many cases, will likely alienate audiences more than their crowd-pleasing, but terrifying, 2023 directorial debut. The audience is forced to watch characters do some of the most irredeemable things, all in the name of love.
And while it may not be as narratively and aesthetically strong as Talk to Me, (which I loved even more after having the chance of seeing it in IMAX earlier this year), it’s definitely far more disturbing, and you won’t be able to shake off some of the images you’ve seen long after you’ve driven back from the movie theater and are forced to ruminate on what you’ve seen. How in the hell do you expect me to drive back home after being a witness to the imagery the Philippou brothers make a reality in this film? If that doesn’t sell you on the tantalizing prospect of a feel-bad time at the movies, I don’t know what will. Yet, the intended effect has definitely worked on me, and it’ll be hard to even think about anything else for some time.
Here’s an even more important question: How does one even approach writing on a movie like this, where each screenwriting decision is meant to disturb the audience so violently that they may be unable to sleep at night? Let’s start with this: this is an entirely different beast than Talk to Me, which makes it interesting, right from the get-go. Formally, it’s far more confrontational than RackaRacka’s previous film, especially when it comes to crafting some of the most harrowing sequences of violence you may see all year. The taller aspect ratio leans us closer to the characters, as they get to experience profound, destabilizing terror, which the Philippou brothers, alongside cinematographer Aaron McLisky, linger on for as long as they possibly can and force the audience to watch, as they gasp in pure shock at what they’re looking at.
One scene in particular made a usually quiet audience at a press screening yell and gasp in absolute bewilderment, as McLisky’s camera showcases one of the most agonizing examples of gore you may see all year, and he rarely cuts away from the violence to get a reaction shot out of the protagonist, which most Hollywood films do. All of these scenes work incredibly well because the practical effects are nail-bitingly lifelike, and the close-ups of each severed body part are as detailed as you can get. Closing your eyes won’t do you any good, especially if you’re squeamish, as the note-perfect sound design ensures you’ll be able to see what you’re shielding away from.
There’s another sequence that juxtaposes The Veronicas’ “Untouched” with brutal, demented imagery. I won’t describe it for the squeamish people reading this article, but let’s just say you’ll never be able to hear this popular song the same way again, because you’ll now always associate it with this scene from Bring Her Back. It’s an unforgivingly traumatic cinema experience that no one, and I mean no one, is ready for.
The problem, though, lies in the fact that RackaRacka seems to be staging these insane (and they are insane) sequences of gore to mask the lack of substance in its story, which follows siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong), who, after the death of their father, are sent to a foster home, run by Laura (Sally Hawkins). Things seem innocuous enough at first, but the directing duo plants clues that inform us that perhaps Laura isn’t the nice foster parent she makes herself out to be, as she has recently lost her daughter and will do anything to…bring her back. That’s about as far as I’ll go in describing the plot for you, because the best part of seeing a film like this is to know as little as possible and hope that it will enthrall – or traumatize – you.
I’ll say that, as shocked as I was at some of the violence shown on screen, and as attuned I am to RackaRacka’s sense of mordant humor in earlier sequences of the film (or even during its climax), as a fan of their work on YouTube, I found that, when removing all of the shocking moments Bring Her Back has, the story itself can often be lacking in purpose, beyond the sickening gore, which Talk to Me had, in capturing a profoundly human relationship between Mia and her friends.
Thematically, Bring Her Back shares similarities with their 2023 film, notably when discussing grief, but it does so in a far more distressing way than the duo’s previous effort. This will undoubtedly divide some audience members, particularly when the film reaches its denouement and makes decisions that are simultaneously disturbing and nonsensical, clearly done for shock value, and with little to no thought put into the why of it all. Again, it’s difficult to talk about the movie without spoiling a thing, but some key moments as the plot develops are bound to rub you the wrong way and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
Initially, we do attach ourselves to Andy and Piper’s relationship. Amidst their flaws and the horrifying experiences they share, the two love each other deeply. However, Danny and Michael do not want us to attach ourselves to their plight, because what Laura has in store for them will test them in ways they’ve never once imagined as soon as they step foot in her home. It results in an ending that seems telegraphed, but doesn’t fall prey to the pitfalls that most movies in this sub-genre of films do, where the foster parent holds a dark secret, and no one around the people who are victimized believes them. In fact, the Philippou brothers don’t do what most filmmakers sadly perpetuate during the climax, which gives them an edge over most horror directors who present their characters constantly making stupid decisions and being victims of their own ignorance.
Adam wants to break free from Laura’s shackles, but can’t do it without hard evidence that something is wrong. He doesn’t make a single shortsighted decision and does the right thing every time, regardless of how unfortunate the story turns. I appreciated this from a genre that usually talks down at the characters they write, as if they’re incapable of acting intelligently and resourcefully, regardless if they are facing events their minds can’t process. It proves to me that the Philippou brothers will go a long way in making horror cinema that’s not only playful and inventive, but will contain intelligently-written human characters who will always showcase the most vulnerable parts of themselves, even if the situation they are stuck in becomes extremely supernatural.
It’s in those vulnerable moments where Barratt and Wong’s acting shines the most, but the real star of the picture is Sally Hawkins, who gives one of the best performances of her career as the mysterious Laura. Her love for her late daughter knows no bounds, to the point that she’ll do anything (literally) to “bring her back.” What that entails, I’ll let you figure that out as the film progresses, but there’s an air of melancholy in her portrayal of the character that’s fascinating to dissect, even when she takes irreparable actions. It makes the film’s coda all the more heartbreaking, even if no one can condone what she does. We fully understand the lengths she will go to bring her daughter back, because the love she has for her is unconditional and will never end.
That alone made the movie compelling, even if I’m a bit miffed at some of the decisions Danny and Michael make along the way. You’re better off experiencing this profoundly deranged, evil movie on your own and coming up with your own opinion of this complete nightmare. Perhaps a distanced rewatch, like Talk to Me, will reward attentive viewers in catching details they likely missed, and could make their viewing experience different if they know the narrative twists and turns RackaRacka has in store for them. However, I have no desire to watch Bring Her Back ever again, and I mean this as the highest possible compliment, even if I believe Danny and Michael Philippou aren’t OK…
