Rather than being content to work on Talk 2 Me, Australian YouTubers-turned-directors Danny and Michael Philippou follow up their hit supernatural horror with another original fright. Bring Her Back builds off the duo's Talk to Me by upping the visual ante and attempting to elevate gore with a more layered and heartfelt story.
Starring Sally Hawkins as foster mother Laura, Bring Her Back follows a brother and sister, Andy (Billy Barrat) and Piper (Sora Wong), who are left under Laura's care after the sudden death of their father. With Andy turning 18 in three months, the siblings see Laura's as a temporary home, while Laura sees it as a chance to perform a ritual.
Similar to Talk to Me, Bring Her Back was written soley by Danny Philippou and it's clear the writer-director has pushed himself, crafting a story that puts grief, trauma and guilt as the reasons for horrific things to happen, while also building out a mythology behind the ritual. While it's not often we bemoan a film for being too short, the 104-minute runtime simply doesn't give enough space for Danny to explore the mythology he created with any great meaning.
The film begins with VHS-like shots of this morbid ritual, and throughout the film, we're given similar glimpses. Laura's motivations are clear; the ritual itself less so. We don't need everything spelled out for us (enough films enjoy doing this), but understanding the history of the ritual and how Laura found it would enrich the story greatly, rather than just having audiences assume everything as mere fact.
Through Laura, Bring Her Back hits a variety of emotional notes, and Hawkins's tremendous performance makes each of them sing loudly and profoundly. As a counter to Laura's push, Barrat's Andy pulls us into his guilt-ridden world that radiates with a desperation to survive and protect Piper. Both stories, as well as Piper's vulnerable neutral position, create an immensely compelling tale to dive into — but, similar to the mythology surrounding the ritual, we merely scratch the surface.
Making up for the gaps in storytelling, the visual effects of Bring Her Back are hideously breathtaking. Mainly applied to young Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), another child under Laura's care, the Philippou brothers conceive gut-twisting visuals that will turn the stomachs of even the most genre-hardened viewers.
In many ways, the Philippous represent the best of a digital generation that traded in a traditional film school pedigree for the Wild West of YouTube. As we watch in real-time, two exceptionally talented artists are finding their footing. Not every punch will be a knockout, and they should be given the grace to whiff at some aspects while scoring points in others.
Where Talk to Me made all of us snap to attention at this Aussie director duo, Bring Her Back affirms that these filmmakers are a force to reckon with, hopefully for many years to come. It isn't simply about whether they land each stride forward they attempt; it's the fact that each risk taken is bold and earned.