I’ve read a comment that described the creators of this movie as two golden retrievers who received their wish to become human filmmakers, and having seen several interviews with the Phillipou brothers, absolutely nothing describes them better than this statement. They are Australians who are passionate about horror and wrestling, who started their careers on YouTube, and who seem to be adorable and cheerful, but who produce some of the most powerful, gruesome and depressing movie seen in theaters in recent years.
The depths of grief
Bring Her Back is a movie from 2025 that plunges you into the depths of parental grief. The story follows Andy and his partially blind half-sister Piper, who, after the sudden death of their father, are placed in an isolated foster home. Their new guardian, Laura, a former social worker, is herself consumed by the death of her own daughter, who was also blind. This isolated house seems haunted by guilt and pain. Andy is clearly not welcome there, and something seems strange from the very first encounter.
Winging a ritual is bold
Laura quickly displays an unhealthy interest in Piper, fluctuating between hyper-attention and infantilization, while the other mute child in her care, Oliver, is being completely neglected. The film gradually reveals that Laura is at the heart of a disturbing occult ritual. What was the most appealing to me was the lack of exposition. We have no explanation for the ritual, we don’t need to know how she discovered it, how she put the pieces together, or how everything unfolded… (Although some clues are available on the website).
We discover how the process works almost at the same time as she does. She’s clearly a novice and hasn’t followed the instructions perfectly, judging by the anomalies we witness. Making one mistake after another, the “demon” or “angel” -depending on who you ask- that possesses Oliver has passed its expiration date and is growing impatient.
Brutal themes
The movie explores with chilling intensity the themes of loss, sacrifice and manipulation, raising the question of how far a parent is willing to go to find a lost child. Each protagonist shares almost an equal amount of screen time, allowing us to follow the children’s descent into hell, as well as the legal guardian’s spiral of grief.
The only plot point that might be a little hard to swallow is Andy’s fate. And the gore, because there’s lots of it (but that depens on your tolerance, I personnaly love it !). From a loving and caring brother, we first see him protecting Piper, then suffering the death of his father, before learning of his father’s abusive past, only to then helplessly witness Laura’s manipulation, Piper’s betrayal and his struggles to save her, all for nothing. He is undeniably an interesting character, but it’s difficult to see fate relentlessly targeting him and then disposing of him.
K-Drama Inspiration
The Philippou brothers have admitted to loving Korean movies and drawing inspiration from them for their work. Mimicking the genre-defying nature of their films and seamlessly shifting from drama to comedy to horror, because life is made up of such moments and doesn’t follow a linear theme. This is precisely what makes the characters so endearing and allows their emotions to resonate with the audience.
I also want to give a shout-out to the actress who played Piper, for whom this was her first role ever and she absolutely nailed it. And to the actor who played Ollie, who, in addition to enduring hours of makeup, gave an incredible performance. Children are often the worst part in horror movies, but that’s definitely not the case here.
Therapy and trauma
I’ll end this review with another spoiler, but I truly think Connor is going to need decades of dental work and therapy. His future is anything but peaceful, poor little guy.
I really like the analogy of death being linked to airplanes that take souls to heaven; it’s a beautiful way to end the movie, with the departure of a plane.
The creators have mentioned wanting to make a Talk 2 Me, but they have another project they’d like to film first. Given that they’ve made two successful movies in a row, I’m eager to see what they’ll be working on next.
My Rating : 4/5 bats
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