[HorrorScience] Bring Her Back (2025): A Contained Look at Grief and Obsession

The new production of A24,Bring Her Back, arrives with the expectation of repeating the success ofTalk to Me, but this time by the Philippou brothers in a more somber and psychological register. The film addresses the theme of pathological grief with a mix of supernatural terror and family drama, resulting in an experience that shines at specific moments but fails to maintain a constant intensity throughout its footage.

The First Minutes: Setting the Toneeither

The film introduces siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) to the darkest moment of their lives: the discovery of their father's lifeless body in the family bathroom. The scene is shot with a realistic rawness that avoids sensationalism, showing death as an abrupt and devastating event. This tone is maintained when the foster system takes them to the home of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a former social worker who lives in an isolated mansion. The first signs that something is not right emerge subtly: bolted windows, padlocked doors, and the disturbing presence of Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), another child adopted by Laura who shows serious symptoms of some mental imbalance and who does not speak.

The Development: Between Family Drama and Rising Tension

As the days go by, the routine at Laura's house becomes more oppressive. Andy tries to protect Piper, who is blind and especially vulnerable, while dealing with his own unresolved grief. Laura, for her part, shows increasingly obsessive behavior with the memory of her deceased daughter, Cathy, who drowned in the garden pool. Sally Hawkins gives a solid performance, conveying the painful duality of a woman who oscillates between genuine compassion and pathological obsession. However, the script doesn't always do justice to his talent, spending too much time on dialogue scenes that slow down the pace without providing any real depth to the characters.

Supernatural tension builds gradually, primarily through repetitive viewing of a VHS tape depicting occult rituals. These elements, although effective at the time, lose impact due to their recurrence. The turning point occurs when Andy, overwhelmed by Laura's constant abuse and manipulation, and suspecting that something bad will happen to Piper, visits the social worker who gave them up for adoption and discovers disturbing information about Oliver. This plot twist, although interesting, suffers from predictable execution at times.

The Climax: Expectations and Reality

The last part of the film increases the intensity with scenes that effectively take advantage of the claustrophobic setting. And the final confrontation has visually powerful moments, although it suffers from a certain conventionality in its resolution. The film chooses to maintain an ambiguous tone regarding the supernatural nature of the events, leaving open to interpretation whether the dark forces were real or products of Laura's disturbed mind. The same goes for a couple of scenes with apparitions or voices that should no longer be there. Coincidence, confusion, or supernatural reality?

Final Reflections: A Proposal with Chiaroscuro

Bring Her Backis a film that offers an interesting exploration of maternal grief, supported by a remarkable performance by Sally Hawkins. The direction of the Philippou brothers demonstrates skill in creating oppressive atmospheres. However, the film suffers from an irregular rhythm and a narrative development that sometimes prioritizes setting over plot cohesion.

It is evident that the film aspires to be part of the canon of psychological horror focused on grief, following in the wake of works such asHereditaryeitherThe Babadook. And while it's debatable whether it lives up to those productions or not, it offers a solid experience for those who appreciate atmospheric horror and intense performances. It is likely to satisfy fans of A24 and the Philippou brothers, although it may leave those looking for a more innovative or consistently terrifying proposal somewhat cold.

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Some Curiosities about Bring Her Back:

• Sora Wong had "zero experience" acting professionally before being cast in the film. Her mother came across a casting call on Facebook looking for a visually impaired girl. Wong was born with coloboma and microphthalmia, which left her blind in her left eye, with very weak vision in her right.
• A link website dedicated to the universe of Bring Her Back and Talk To Me calledblackangeltapes.netprovides more information about how Laura came to possess the possession ritual tape in the film, what the circular motions she traces on the window and Ollie's head mean, and why the demon possessing Ollie is constantly hungry.
• The rituals shown on the VHS tape are based on real Slavic traditions, although highly dramatized for the film.

And a bonus:Does the cat die in Bring Her Back?Well, if you left the movie when Ollie takes the cat to the pool, or you heard about that scene and didn't want to watch it anymore, don't worry, you can watch it. There are no unpleasant scenes with the cat.

And you, have you already seen it? If so, what did you think of the ending? Leave us your comments below.