Bring Her Back
2025
**½
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Cast: Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Sally Hawkins, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Mischa Heywood, Olga Miller, Kathryn Adams, Asha O'Connell
After their father dies, 17-year-old Andy and his visually impaired step-sister Piper are placed in foster care with Laura, an eccentric, grieving woman who lives in an isolated house with a strange mute foster child named Oliver. Following Talk to Me, the Philippou brothers deliver another horror film centred on grief and trauma. While their debut was an enthralling experience, this follow-up feels less scary, original, or engaging. Oliver's disturbing behaviour in particular often seems included purely for shock value rather than meaningful reason. The performances are good, though.
