‘Bring Her Back’ Review: Sally Hawkins Is Chillingly Creepy as a Foster Mother From Hell in the Philippous’ Terrifying Follow-Up to ‘Talk to Me’

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Except for the instinctive reaction to a sudden fright, the main intention behind most horror films is to unsettle you. However, if you’re a fan of horror flicks, you might develop a resistance to such scares. Finding a horror movie that truly terrifies you, that leaves an unnerving impact, and disturbs your sleep can be challenging. But “Bring Her Back,” the second film by Australian YouTube horror-comedy pranksters-turned-filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou (“Talk to Me”), stands out as a significantly disturbing horror production.

The movie, based in suburban Australia, presents as both a chilling domestic nightmare and a surreal, disorganized spectacle at times. Yet, these elements are intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish one from the other. As an admirer of traditional storytelling, I yearn for “Bring Her Back” to be more coherent and rational. However, the filmmaking style employed by Philippous is impressionistic enough to justify this unconventional approach. They seem less concerned with neatly wrapping up every single plot thread. Instead, they focus on evoking a specific emotion, a rich, unsettling sensation of dread.

The setting is basic yet evocative, reminiscent of the opening scene for a classic ’60s black-and-white thriller directed by Roman Polanski. In Adelaide, Piper (Sora Wong), who is visually impaired (able to perceive shapes and light but legally blind), and her protective older brother Andy (Billy Barratt) return home to find their father collapsed in the shower, having experienced a seizure from which he does not recover. Now orphans, they must navigate life together. Since Andy is only three months away from his 18th birthday, allowing him to become Piper’s legal guardian, he intends for them to live independently. However, until then, social services assign them a foster parent – Laura (Sally Hawkins), an experienced caregiver and counselor residing in a spacious, secluded home.

Upon their arrival, she’s overjoyed to see them, almost excessively so. While it’s important for a foster parent to be welcoming, Laura’s excessive enthusiasm borders on being inappropriate and uncomfortable. Sally Hawkins, renowned for her performances in films like “Happy-Go-Lucky,” “All or Nothing,” “The Shape of Water,” “Blue Jasmine,” “Spencer,” and the “Paddington” movies, is an exceptional actress who excels at portraying deeply empathetic characters. However, her performance in “Happy-Go-Lucky” showcased her ability to create a somewhat naive and myopic character as well. In “Bring Her Back,” Laura’s motherly figure is so pushy and gregarious that she gives off an unsettling vibe.

Laura, the title character, has secret motives, many of which are glaringly obvious, like warning signs in a movie. Laura’s own child, who was also visually impaired, passed away mysteriously. (That’s ‘her’ we’re referring to.) In her home, there’s a stuffed dog in the living room. Her behavior towards the new children is quite odd, especially when she organizes an extravagant and inappropriate late-night dance party with alcohol involved. If Laura’s cheerful yet suspicious demeanor can be explained away easily, the same cannot be said for her foster child, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), who seems to be around 10 years old. He has a unique appearance, with an androgynous haircut, a purple mark under his right eye, and a constant scowl that makes him appear both angelic and demonic at the same time. When Oliver behaves aggressively, it’s best to stay cautious.

The film “Bring Her Back” doesn’t mince words or shy away from being overt. It starts off powerfully, with a distressing scene of grainy VHS footage showing gruesome cult rituals caught on camcorder. The bodies are lifted by nooses, and the footage is recurrent throughout the movie, growing increasingly intense as we witness disfigured corpses with bloody, mangled faces. In this chilling sequence, Laura, who appears central to these events, is conspicuously present. From the outset, she is portrayed as a sinister presence, carrying secrets of her own that are ominous and unsettling.

However, as is typical for children, Andy and Piper tend to trust easily, therefore, they strive to create a sense of normalcy in their surroundings, disregarding any unusual vibes they might pick up from Laura. This persists even when Laura behaves aggressively, as they attempt to maintain peace with her.

In a disturbing turn of events, witnessing children endure cruelty surpasses a severe boundary, and “Bring her Back” centers around Laura inflicting a primal form of harshness on the kids under her supervision. Since Piper is blind, she’s especially vulnerable and easily influenced, and we observe Laura attempting to pry her from Andy—manipulating and lying until it seems like Andy is in the wrong. In a more conventional movie made many years ago, this conflict would have been the main focus of the drama.

In “Bring Her Back,” Laura’s dark side is not subtly revealed over time; instead, the film portrays it as an overwhelming and constant spectacle that is more akin to a grandiose Baroque painting. The monstrous nature of Laura is in-your-face and pervasive, providing a disturbing representation of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Throughout the movie, Andy frequently wakes up soaked in his own urine, which becomes terrifying when we discover the reason behind it – a chilling display of cruelty. Oliver, who hasn’t experienced life in a foster home, starts inflicting self-harm in grotesque ways, actions that seem to be his own but also appear to be an extension of Laura’s will. As the story progresses and Oliver stabs a kitchen knife into his mouth, breaking his teeth, you might not feel fear so much as a sense of creeping dread, pulling back into your seat.

In this movie, there are certain elements that seem to fit together yet remain somewhat enigmatic. For instance, at Andy and Piper’s father’s funeral, Laura covertly snips a lock of his hair, which appears to serve as some sort of voodoo charm, but we’re left wondering about its purpose or significance. The symbolism surrounding Laura’s empty swimming pool is heavily employed, and the film incorporates various symbols suggestive of witchcraft, although we never receive a complete interpretation of these symbols. The flashbacks to the cult horrors, captured on VHS, are unsettling enough to pique curiosity about their explanation. It seems that the director, Philippou, prefers a cryptic style, reminiscent of De Sade combined with surrealist music video aesthetics, when it comes to horror storytelling.

The film’s connection to reality is strengthened by the convincing portrayals of Billy Barratt and Sora Wong as Andy and Piper. They make these characters incredibly relatable and real, filled with emotional vulnerability. It’s fascinating to watch Barratt, who bears a striking resemblance to Robert Pattinson, delve so deeply into insecurity and fear. As for Wong, who is new to acting, she brings an authenticity that adds tension to each scene. These two performances give the audience something to cling to and cheer for. In the end, it’s Sally Hawkins who leaves a lasting impression with her outstanding portrayal of fear and loathing. Her character, a domestically abusive gargoyle-like figure, is terrifyingly realistic.

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2025-05-16 16:18