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While I greatly admire the films of the Philippou twins (Danny and Michael also known as the filmmaking collective RackaRacka) they’re awfully arduous. Much like the Aussies’ debut “Talk to Me” their sophomore effort “Bring Her Back” (now in theaters) is a gauntlet of terrors and traumas to be endured as opposed to enjoyed.
Andy (Billy Barratt) and his stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are thrown for a loop when their Dad Phil (Stephen Phillips) unexpectedly dies in the shower. Andy’s a few months away from being 18, but not old enough to take guardianship of the vision-impaired Piper. They are therefore remanded by social worker Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton) to the custody of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a therapist who lost her blind daughter Cathy (Mischa Heywood) in a tragic drowning accident. Andy and Piper aren’t the only foster children at Laura’s home – there’s also the mute Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who’s generally locked in his room for his safety and the safety of others.
I don’t want to get into a lot of specifics about where the film goes from here as it’s best discovered by our most adventurous and desensitized audience members, but I can assure y’all it’s no place good. The dude sitting a few seats away from me and I were often writhing in our seats and averting our eyes from the screen – we had a good, fast chat and laugh about our behavior and the movie’s effect upon us afterwards.
I had trouble getting through “Talk to Me” and similarly had issues with “Bring Her Back.” I honestly thought about walking away from both flicks and in each case I’m glad I didn’t. The Philippous (and co-writer Bill Hinzman) are profoundly gifted filmmakers who make supremely sad and scary movies. The fact that their pictures have had this great of an impact on me is the highest of compliments.
The Philippous are versatile with their horror oscillating between the subgenres of body, psychological and supernatural. The fact that their scares are rooted in genuine human emotion and a questioning of mortality makes them all the scarier. The Philippous and their collaborators (cinematographer Aaron McLisky, composer Cornel Wilczek, editor Geoff Lamb and supervising sound editor Emma Bortignon) are collectively like a cat toying with a mouse (the audience) before pouncing and inflicting pain. They skillfully get you to drop your guard and then drop the hammer.
“Bring Her Back” is really well-acted across the board with standouts being Hawkins (no surprise – she’s the goods and goes gonzo here) and Barratt. I’ve seen Barratt in bad movies I’ve enjoyed (“Kraven the Hunter”) and ones I didn’t (“My Spy: The Eternal City”) and didn’t think much of him. He really impressed me here by making Andy an entirely decent and sympathetic figure. Methinks Barratt’s going places.
I don’t think “Bring Her Back” is as successful as “Talk to Me” and it didn’t resonate with me quite as deeply on an emotional level, but it’s one hell of an exhaustive experience. For me the Philippous make single-serve horror movies. I can’t revisit their works because they take too much out of me. I watched the film as the back half of a double bill with “Karate Kid: Legends” due to time constraints and I wish I could’ve flipped the order as I really could’ve used a frothy palate cleanser. I’ll trepidatiously see whatever the Philippous make next. I’ll just be bracing myself for the next round of punishment.