Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: A gripping movie about grief and loss, “Bring Her Back,” now playing in theatres, stars two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as a foster mother of two young people who hides a sinister plan behind her sunny smile.

CAST: Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou.

REVIEW: “Bring Her Back” is a horror film with some very disturbing images. Think self-cannibalization and you’ll get the idea, but it isn’t only the visuals that pack a punch. Co-directors Danny and Michael Philippou bring a tragic sense of loss and grief that hangs over every frame like a shroud. That dark sense of haunting embeds itself like a hook in a bass’s mouth in the viewer’s consciousness and will not let go until long after the end credits have rolled.

It’s a slow burn, squirmy watch filled with surprises and unsettling performances.

Set in current day Australia, the story of stepsiblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) begins with the death of their father. The two are close, with Andy helping the strong-willed Piper navigate the world as a sightless person. Forced into foster care—Andy is just three months away from turning 18, the legal age when he can apply to become Piper’s guardian—they are welcomed into Laura’s (Sally Hawkins) home. A mother still grieving the loss of her daughter, there’s something sinister lurking behind Laura’s sunny disposition.

If Andy is to become Piper’s guardian, he must prove to Laura that he is “safe and reliable.” But first Andy must decide, before it’s too late, if Laura, and the odd, seemingly feral child Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips) who lives with her, are eccentric or dangerous.

From the opening frames “Bring Her Back” has a sense of anxiety, like everything is tilted 180 degrees. It builds over time, before exploding in a climax so twisted (NO SPOILERS HERE) it leaves one horrified as it explores the extremes that grief and loss can push a person.

Hawkins is remarkable as Laura, a woman whose deep wounds make her a tragic figure, but one capable of great menace. She is unpredictable, able to change from dangerous to doting with just the flick of an eyebrow.

Fine work from Barratt and Wong delves deep into the psychological aspect of the horror. Andy earnestly tries to do what is best for Piper, but his secrets, once revealed, erode the trust his stepsister once had for him. That heartbreaking rupture in their relationship, manipulated by Laura, is key that opens the door to the horror. Once ajar, any sense of normalcy that may have existed goes out the window, leading up to an unforgettable climax.

“Bring Her Back” has graphic moments, but it doesn’t rely on jump scares to make its point. It is the psychological horror, the very core of the film’s exploration of grief, that disturbs and devastates.