An impressive step forward for the Australian sibling directing team of Danny and Michael Philippou, which capitalizes on the nasty, showy promise they exhibited with Talk to Me. Boasting a more cohesive narrative and welcome patience with the camera, Bring Her Back follows a teenager (Billy Barratt) and his younger stepsister (Sora Wong) who are sent to live with a bubbly foster parent named Laura (Sally Hawkins) following the sudden death of their father. Best known for the effervescent cheer she brought to the likes of Happy-Go-Lucky, Paddington, and The Shape of Water, Hawkins laces that same quality—Laura wears bright colors and a big smile—with the slightest hint of malevolent mania. Yet even as the horror becomes clearer (and the Philippous are proving to be auteurs of gross-out, self-inflicted gore), Hawkins roots Laura’s devilry in a real sense of loss, one that mirrors the siblings’ own mourning. The screenplay, by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, shows sophistication both in its characterizations and as a trauma narrative, although I was a bit unclear on the mechanics of Laura’s grand scheme, especially during the gonzo climax. Nevertheless, Bring Her Back ghoulishly registers as a mediation on the madness of grief. With this and Talk to Me, the Philippous seem drawn to stories about people who refuse to accept death, attempt to subvert it, and pay an awful price.
(6/5/2025)
