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Presence
2025 84 min United States of America R 18+
★6.7
Drama, Horror, Thriller
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Trailers
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EN
Teaser
Teaser
Teaser
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Description
A couple and their children move into a seemingly normal suburban home. When strange events occur, they begin to believe there is something else in the house with them. The presence is about to disrupt their lives in unimaginable ways.
Budget:
$2M
US Gross:
$6.9M
Worldwide:
$11.07M
Starring
Lucy Liu
Actor
Chris Sullivan
Actor
Callina Liang
Actor
Key opinion
Presence is a polarizing experimental drama that utilizes a unique, first-person "ghost's-eye-view" to observe a fractured family. While some critics praise the technical ambition and focus on existential family dynamics, others find the narrative underdeveloped and the unconventional cinematography physically off-putting.
| Originality | The film's core innovation—a first-person POV shot from the perspective of an entity—is widely recognized as a bold and distinct formal experiment. | |
| Acting | Performances from the core cast, particularly Lucy Liu and Callina Liang, effectively ground the domestic tension and emotional weight of the story. | |
| Screenplay | The script is frequently criticized for being thin or underdeveloped, leading to a narrative that feels more like a short-form tech demo than a fully realized feature film. | |
| Cinematography | The "fish-eye" or gliding POV camerawork divides opinion; for some, it creates an immersive atmosphere, while for others, it is nauseating and physically disorienting. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing and structural flow are inconsistent, with some viewers appreciating the concise runtime while others find the editing transitions disruptive to the viewing experience. | |
| Theme | Marketed as a horror film, it fails to meet genre expectations for many, as it prioritizes slow-burn family drama over traditional scares or supernatural terror. |