BRING HER BACK

When a new director (directors in this case) - especially in the horror genre - comes into the ring, there is this pressure to do both the same thing but also something new but also something the audience is expecting of you. I look at Jordan Peele and the success of 'Get Out' and how that affected 'Us' 'Bring Her Back' surprised me with just how emotional it is. The film tackles grief in a very raw and real way. While yes, it is still a horror film with possession elements, the core idea here is how we process grief. Where 'Talk To Me' was horrifying with its imagery, 'Bring Her Back' lets the emotion fill the horror theme.

The cast is another knockout of both Aussie and international talent. Sally Hawkins takes on the leading role and is truly perfect, balancing the horror aspect while making the character extremely believable. The idea of how far a grieving person will go is so perfectly captured in her performance. Also, her Australian accent is very believable; she did a truly phenomenal job here. The rest of the cast is filled out with young actors. Sora Wong and Jonah Wren Phillips are just expectational. For being both so young and in some of their first roles, it's truly astonishing what they have to showcase. They are given some extremely wild and heavy things to do - especially Phillips - and I am just so blown away by everyone's performances. The most grounded performance is Billy Barratt's, and again, it's just another great performance. I cannot speak more highly about just how well this ensemble does.

I really connected with 'Bring Her Back'. It is something I have been thinking about a lot since seeing it. What it has to say about grief, the way the Phillippou brothers continue to elevate this genre while still supporting local talent and crews, the way it doesn't hold the audience's hand and, most importantly, the way a major film finally uses 'Untouched' by The Veronicas. There is just oh so much to adore about this film. I truly love these directors - they are just so fun as people, and they are making things that are really fresh and different, having a very distinct voice while being Australian films. It's just so exciting that current Aussie kids can look at them and strive to make content that showcases our country without having to be a film set in the outback or as a part of a crew for whatever Hollywood film is filming here for tax write-off.