Bring Her Back: A Fun and Freaky Ode to Grief

Bring Her Back uses great performances and a fun yet harrowing script to make a great horror film.

I loved Talk to Me, so I’ve been really looking forward to Bring Her Back. I didn’t know what to expect other than it being gross and probably wildly fucked up. I was right, and luckily, I was also right about enjoying it. Bring Her Back is described as two siblings being introduced to a new one by their foster mother after their father dies. I don’t want to say more about it but that’s a very, very simple way to describe such a beautifully strange movie. Bring Her Back uses great performances and a fun yet harrowing script to make a great horror film.

The performances in Bring Her Back from Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, and Jonah Wren Philipps are incredible. Sally Hawkins is the biggest name here and lives up to it. She’s somehow both nurturing and terrifying in a way I wasn’t expecting. Billy Barratt and Sora Wong are great protagonists. Their acting and well-directed sibling chemistry make you easily compelled by their story. They both feel like kids you want to see make it out of everything unscathed. Jonah Wren Phillips has arguably the most to do within the film, and he’s masterful with his physicality. There’s also a lot of depth within his performance; it’s wild. I can’t wait to see it again.

Bring Her Back has a fantastic script. I already really enjoyed Talk to Me, but I agree that it felt purposely tame in some parts. This becomes deranged quickly in its third act, and I think it's all the better. The characters feel very distinct, and their actions, while stylized, feel very honest for the story. I really enjoy how the use of surreal visuals heighten each character’s unique points of view. It really helps the psychological aspects of the film come across much each easier as you really understand what they're all thinking. One issue is that one aspect of the story is glossed over. It's a minor detail in the film's story, but I can’t help but wonder about it. Nevertheless, the movie succeeds in being somehow very fun and sad at the same time.

Bring Her Back uses great performances and a fun yet harrowing script to make a great horror film. The lead four are great actors and easily made me invested in all of their story arcs. The writing is excellent in how heightened and fucked up it is. It glosses over some backstory in crafting its mystery, but still works. Bring Her Back made me melancholy and horrified, which I’ve come to expect from the brothers Philippou. I know one thing for sure: I'm horrified of what that Talk to Me sequel will be like now in the best way possible. See this movie ASAP!

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. I hope you like it as much as I did. Thanks for reading this review!