Presence Movie (2024 film)

Presence (2024 Film) Cost

• Lucy Liu as Rebecca Payne
• Chris Sullivan as Chris Payne
• Callina Liang as Chloe Payne
• Eddy Maday as Tyler Payne
• West Mulholland as Ryan
• Julia Fox as Cece
• the realtor
• Natalie Woolams-Torres as Lisa
• Lucas Papaelias as Carl Lisa’s husband

Presence (2024 Film) Premise

Steven Soderbergh is the director, and David Koepp is the writer of the 2024 American supernatural thriller drama film Presence. Callina Liang, Chris Sullivan, and Lucy Liu are its main actors. On January 19, 2024, Presence made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. On January 24, 2025, Neon released it in theatres around the United States. On a $2 million production budget, the movie made $8.4 million and got good reviews from reviewers.

Presence (2024 Film) Summary

The four-member Paynes family—father Chris, mother Rebecca, older brother Tyler, and younger sister Chloe—move into a big suburban home where a poltergeist (known in-universe as the “Presence”) resides. In a sequence of extended takes, the entire movie is shown from the perspective of the Presence.
The Presence observes the family’s deepening divisions. Because Rebecca has been engaging in financial theft at work and Chris is thinking of leaving her, the parents’ marriage is strained. Rebecca ignores Chloe and becomes fixated on Tyler, a haughty champion swimmer. Chris worries about Chloe, who is mourning the loss of her best friend Nadia, one of two local girls who passed away in their sleep not long ago. The deceased girls are written off by Tyler as drug junkies.

Chloe thinks it’s Nadia’s ghost when she feels the Presence, which frequently lurks in her closet. Chloe meets Ryan, Tyler’s friend. They talk about sadness and loss while high, and then Chloe breaks down and starts crying while Ryan comforts her. He talks about his psychological problems and control fixation while telling her that she will choose the time and location of their intercourse. To prevent them from becoming intimate, the Presence causes a shelf in Chloe’s closet to collapse. On a subsequent day, following their sexual encounter, Ryan adds a dubious-looking white powder to Chloe’s drink, but the Presence topples it before Chloe can consume it. In the meantime, Tyler and his pals trick a female student by asking for a private picture of her and sharing it on social media. Chris and Chloe are horrified by Rebecca’s indulgence. The rest of the family learns of the Presence’s presence as it ruthlessly destroys Tyler’s room.

Chris calls the real estate agent, who maintains that no one passed away in the house because she would be required by law to reveal that. However, she suggests that her sister-in-law, a medium, pay a visit. In addition to noticing the antique mirror set into the fireplace mantle that aids in seeing into the spiritual plane, the medium feels the Presence. She understands that Chloe can also perceive it because trauma has opened the metaphysical “door.” She goes on to say that there is a reason the Presence is in the house and speculates that it might be stuck in an outdated era, confusing the past with the present. Rebecca and Tyler reject the story as untrue. In their talk, Chris confesses that he accepts Chloe’s assertions and acknowledges that, as he has grown older and gained experience, he has gotten more religious. Later, when the medium reappears, she cautions Chris that she thinks the Presence is there to stop something from happening in the future, something to do with “the window that doesn’t open.”

While her parents are away on a business trip, Ryan insists that he and Chloe stay overnight, but Chloe fears that Tyler will still be there. After the parents depart, Ryan shows up and gives Tyler Ambien, putting him to sleep in the living room while he delivers Chloe another alcoholic beverage. Ryan coerces Chloe into consoling him and “just talking” over the drinks when she confesses to him that she’s uncomfortable with the setting. She drinks the tampered beverage, which renders her incompetent. Ryan boasts about killing Nadia while pretending it was an overdose. He continuously stops her air supply with incredibly thin plastic wrap.
After being woken up in a panic by the Presence, Tyler rushes upstairs, assaults Ryan, and throws the two of them through the window. As it had done so many times before, the Presence gazes out the window at the now-dead Tyler and Ryan in the driveway below. The family vacates the residence. Rebecca feels the Presence and follows it to the mirror before she leaves. Rebecca sobs when she sees Tyler’s image in the mirror and realizes he has always been the Presence. The Presence/Tyler floats out and over the home after serving its job.

Presence (2024 Film) Production

It wasn’t until December 2023 that the David Koepp-written and Steven Soderbergh-directed movie was made public when it was confirmed to be a part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.[6] Using a temporary SAG-AFTRA agreement from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, principal photography was conducted over 11 days in September 2023.[7] The movie was filmed in a Cranford, New Jersey, home and is entirely in the first person

Presence (2024 Film) Reviews

Matthew Ventouris
A new angle on “hauntings.” The ending has a HUGE twist. It’s straightforward and not overly wordy or scattered. You might understand why some people who were hoping for a cheap thrill or a horror movie could find it unsatisfactory. In terms of storytelling, it’s excellent because my younger sister sobbed at the conclusion. I would have liked a longer conclusion to see how specific individuals handled everything or simpy to tie everything up nicely, but it’s also interesting to leave things as they are. Nice camera work and a great story.
Sydney Williamson
Although great, presence is undoubtedly not for everyone. Many were offended because they thought this would be scary, but it’s not. Only when you acknowledge that Presence is a brilliantly written psychological thriller with a fantastic twist at the end rather than a scary film will you be able to enjoy it. Chris Sullivan, who played Chris, and Callina Liang, who played Chloe, both performed excellently. But I didn’t like Lucy Liu’s role since she was just plain nasty and kept telling them both that she preferred Tyler over Chloe or Ryan. 9/10 is an incredibly well-made film that will have you thinking all the way through.
Paula Jurczak
I completely agree that it should have been classified as a thriller rather than a horror film. However, it’s a fantastic movie that is very different from other horror films. It moves slowly but cohesively. There aren’t any jump scares, but the whole thing has an unsettling vibe. The conclusion shocked me; it’s realistic, thought-provoking, and captivating throughout. The only reason it’s not a five is because of a few small changes, but it’s still an amazing film, and it was a lot of fun talking about it after watching it and putting it all together. I’m not a huge fan of horror films; most are monotonous and pointless, but this one is original and well-written.
Kate Breeding
It is a unique film. Long shots and strong performance were combined with a sophisticated use of camera angles to portray emotion. I was really happy with how the film ended, even though I had no idea where it was headed. It was fantastic, and I would watch it again. All I can say is that I wish there had been more. This film, which concentrated on the art of camera work, exposition, character development, and relationships, was a welcome change of pace in an era when most films were lengthy and packed with action.