Bring Her Back – Spoiler Free

04 Jun 2025 Leave a comment

by Debra Manskey in Movie Review, Writing Tags: , , , , , , ,

Bring Her Back (2025)

Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman

Going into this sophomore feature from the Philippou brothers, I knew next to nothing about it, and I recommend that as a default position for watching most film. So I’m going to give as little away as possible, in the hope that many of you will go and see this on the big screen and be as surprised and ultimately, entertained as I was.

I did know it was an uncomfortable watch for many people and it stars Sally Hawkins, whose work is diverse and always top notch in my opinion. As Laura, she is a force of nature and the ticket price is worth it just for her heartfelt and at times, downright desperate performance. The younger cast members are also excellent, vision impaired Sora Wong is particularly good, especially considering her lack of previous acting experience.

Bring Her Back is very intense, doesn’t shy away from depictions of gore (I can see the influence of French New Extremity clearly here) so it’s not for the squeamish. The intensity is accentuated by some great camera work (hats off to DoP Aaron McLisky), the use of tight framing that creates a claustrophobic atmosphere and the simplicity of diegetic sound, especially rain falling. The score by award-winning screen composer, Cornel Wilczek is unobtrusive and helps build audience anxiety, and at a tight 104 minutes, this film doesn’t outstay it’s welcome.

At it’s core, this is an exploration of grief from a variety of viewpoints. From the superficiality of contemporary funeral rites to the depths of darkness, guilt and depression. (As an aside, I’d love to hear US mortician Caitlin Doughty discuss and critique various funeral practices in contemporary horror, I think it’d make an excellent video essay.) The tension is maintained through a combination of great script, visuals and sound, excellent editing and exceptional performances – both in front and behind the camera.

Ultimately, I can’t describe this as an enjoyable watch, but as a lifelong horror fan I do consider it entertaining. It’s caused me to consider people I’ve lost along the way and how I’ve processed/still processing the grief, something I consider a healthy use of my time. I haven’t watched the Philippou brothers first feature, Talk To Me (2022) but after seeing Bring Her Back, I’ll be rectifying that very soon.

Bring Her Back is currently in wide distribution globally. Highly recommended.

Everything Everywhere All At Once

18 Apr 2022 Leave a comment

by Debra Manskey in Biography, Movie Review, Writing Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (as the Daniels)

I saw this with friends at my local cinema (the State) and while it was great to see on the big screen, our experience was unfortunately marred by some very inappropriately noisy young girls, which is always sad. We went in purposely knowing very little about the film, only the main cast and that it’s an A24 release. It’s my preferred way to see anything – and we weren’t disappointed.

This film is made up of very many thematic pieces. Part absurdist comedy, part family drama, part action blockbuster, part science fiction but at it’s core, I felt it was a thoughtful examination of existentialism on one hand and nihilism on the other. There are many film references, stretching from Hong Kong action cinema to Disney animation, and I even found myself thinking of In the Mood For Love (2000) with some very beautifully lit and heartfelt alley scenes. Perhaps my biggest takeaway from this, is that it isn’t based on an existing property, it’s a wholly original work (albeit a cinematic homage) and that makes it all the more refreshing.

The cast are top notch but my standouts are Michelle Yeoh (Evelyn Wang), the astonishing Jamie Lee Curtis (Deirdre Beaubeirdre) and Stephanie Hsu (Joy Wang). They’re ably supported by veteran actor James Hong (Gong Gong) and Ke Huy Kwan (Waymond Wang) who as a child actor, played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

There are moments that are outrageously, laugh-out-loud funny, some blindingly great action sequences (where Yeoh is stunning) and moments when I found myself in tears, thinking of my own fraught family relationships. For the most part, the pacing is frenetic, at times reminiscent of Edgar Wright’s smash cuts from Scott Pilgrim vs The World (2010) but it’s interspersed with quieter, reflective moments that (for me, at least) will remain long after the movie has ended.

Overall, I found the whole far greater than the sum of its many parts and a thoroughly entertaining ride. Try and see it on the biggest screen possible. Very highly recommended.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently in wide release globally .