Presence is rated R by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for violence, drug material, language, sexuality and teen drinking.
Violence: There are some rather dramatic and eerie scenes depicting the supernatural occurrences in the movie. Among them are poltergeist-like occurrences where objects are thrown, rooms are vandalized, and characters are physically vibrated by undisclosed forces. An example of a mean chick prank on a female classmate includes referencing the situation as one that caused psychological damage. This causes several points of shock and panic, with the story reaching its climax when the situation becomes even tenser within the family unit.
Substance Use: One of the major story arcs takes place around the loss of Chloe’s friend named Nadia, who dies from an overdose. It is mentioned many times throughout the movie, occasionally alongside the topic of mourning and loss. The last character can be described as a friend who also fell prey to substance abuse as part and parcel of educating the young generation on the vices of drug abuse. Chloe’s act of burying Nadia is quite emotional and can leave a psychological scar in viewers, especially regarding the death of a loved one.
Language: This is evident in the dialogue, where there is very frequent use of the strong language which is comprised of the expletives such as ‘fk’ and ‘st’ especially when two characters are angry or involved in the quarrel in the family. There are also cases where one can find use of abusive language and quarrels that are responsible for the creation of distorted family image.
Sexuality: In the romantic aspect of the movie, Chloe and Ryan engage in some flirtation and possibly healthy communication; however, they show affection through kissing and some touching. However, their conversation hints at the element of power and influence over each other, which casts a less romantic view into their relationship despite the lack of sex scenes. There is also an implicit threat of marital discord and possible emotional or even physical estrangement between Rebekah and Chris.
Presence Ending Explained
Spoiler Warning: The following article discusses key plot points and interpretations of Presence. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, proceed with caution.
The film Presence by Steven Soderbergh subverts the expectations of the standard ghost/haunted house story by presenting it from the point of view of the specter. This kind of decision-making not only provides new suspense but also provokes viewers to think about their position as mere spectators and the power of the storytelling. Taking elements from both Peeping Tom and Paranormal Activity, Soderbergh produces an engaging and poignant psychological thriller that portrays a different facet of relationships in a family.
A Ghost’s-Eye View:
The movie opens with a nameless spirit roaming helplessly in a vacant, contemporary house. The continuity of the shots reflects its fragile, aimless nature as it moves through the corridors, circles around a staircase, and glides through empty rooms. This ethereal introduction sets the tone: the ghost is disillusioned, looking for meaning and, likely, companionship.
The house soon gets new occupants: Rebekah, played by Lucy Liu, Chris, portrayed by Chris Sullivan, and their kids Tyler and Chloe.
Right from the onset, the family is weighed down by the feeling of loss and strife. Chloe gets emotional about the loss of a friend who was found dead from a drug overdose, and Rebekah’s legal situation has been weighing on everyone. However, sibling rivalry between Tyler and Chloe does not help to mend the relationships within the household. In this context, the ghost embodies a silent observer of the family’s misfortunes; it is there but unnoticeable.
The dramatic action rises when Chloe starts to feel the presence of a ghost. While the rest of the family is terrified by the events, she gets excited and speculates if the spirit could be her dead friend. This more tentative relationship enhances the film’s emotional heart and transforms it from a more straightforward work of horror into a meditation on mourning and the human need to reconcile with the past.
Things take a turn for the worse when his friend Ryan is introduced into the picture. The secretive communication with Chloe hints at some plan, and after committing a dirty trick, it is Tyler who shows the desire to incite the ghost. For the first time, the spirit gets angry and spiritually assaults Tyler in his bedroom along with other physical manifestations. This startling moment forces the family to acknowledge what they’ve been trying to ignore: this suggests that something—or someone— is with them.
The arrival of a medium offers new knowledge about the ghostly presence. As she has pointed out, time is relative to spirits and is an amalgamation of the past, the present, and even the future. The actions of the ghost, therefore, cannot be associated with mere thinkinglessness but rather with an inability to complete a certain task. This revelation makes the movie richer and creates Suburbs as a movie that works on both levels – dealing with the ghost whose motives need to be deciphered and the issues the family has to face.
‘Presence’ is semantically ambiguous. On one level, it is a traditional horror story, where the ghost is slowly revealed starting with the disturbances of asserting its supernatural powers like flickering light and sudden footsteps. In another, it symbolizes trauma and the manner in which one’s past follows them like a dark cloud. Chloe’s interactions with the spirit represent her need for answers, explaining the family’s general longing to overcome their issues and unresolved problems.
There is even a metafiction element to the story. Soderbergh further achieves this by immersing the audience as passive spectators to the walking dead’s transformation to ghosts. Like the ghost desires to somehow interact with the family and save them from their current predicament, viewers would like to intervene too and alert characters to potential threats or prevent them from making wrong choices. This aspect is well employed in the structure of the film and the viewer becomes an accomplice in the ghost’s vigilantism.
Of course, certain subplots are left open-ended, such as Rebekah and Chris’s arrest – a facet of the story that seems underdeveloped – but Presence does not fail to captivate emotionally and intellectually. This makes the film impressive not only for its narrative originality but also for the themes of people, mourning, and the ability of cinematography to develop emotions in the audience.
As indie sex, lies, and videotape marks its 35th anniversary, Presence confirms Soderbergh’s penchant for provocation. In combining the intricacies of psychological horror with high-stakes thrills of the supernatural, thriller, and fantasy, he has crafted a spectral love letter to the concepts of life, death, and perhaps most vividly, the narrative we construct and share with one another in this world.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: David Koepp
Starring: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, and Chris Sullivan
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 24, 2025, Wide