Bring Her Back
Content Advisory: Abuse, Excessive or gratuitous violence
Two siblings discover their new foster mother has sinister ulterior motives in Bring Her Back. After the death of their father Phil (Stephen Phillips), Andy (Billy Barratt) and his blind half-sister Piper (Sora Wong) are left orphans. The siblings are sent by their social worker, Wendy (Sally-Anne Upton), into the foster care of Laura (Sally Hawkins), a veteran counsellor who lost her daughter, Cathy (Mischa Heywood), in a horrible accident.
Laura initially comes across as a caring woman, though she shows more attention towards Piper than Andy, who is traumatized by the abuse he received from his father. There is also Laura’s other ward, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips), a mute boy exhibiting odd behaviour and an immense appetite. It soon becomes apparent that Laura has a sinister reason for taking in the siblings.
Bring Her Back Synopsis
Bring Her Back is the sophomore feature film from Australian YouTubers turned filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou (Talk to Me). The film stars Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water) as Laura, the new foster mother to orphaned siblings Andy and Piper. Despite appearing kind on the outside, it is soon discovered that the siblings are pawns in a demonic ritual being performed by Laura in a desperate attempt to resurrect her deceased daughter, Cathy.
In the way of Laura’s plan is the older sibling Andy, who hopes to take guardianship of his blind half-sister Piper once he turns 18. As such, Andy becomes the victim of catfishing by Laura, bringing up traumatic memories of the abuse he received from his father, to make him appear that he’s mentally unfit to care for Piper. However, it isn’t long until Andy begins to suspect something isn’t right with Laura and her other ward, Oliver.
My Thoughts on Bring Her Back
Despite being best known for their YouTube channel RackaRacka, twin Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou have demonstrated in only two films their ability to make incredibly disturbing horror films. Similar to their 2022 debut, Talk to Me, Bring Her Back is a supernatural horror film with a major demonic slant. However, without delving too deep into spoilers, the Philippou have also peppered this film with extremely graphic violence, including a cannibalistic element.
Bring Her Back is, to my knowledge, the first major antagonistic role for Sally Hawkins, though her role as Laura plays with the screen persona Hawkins has developed through the years, dating back to her breakthrough role in Mike Leigh’s 2008 film Happy-Go-Lucky. On the surface, Laura is someone you would never imagine capable of committing evil acts, as she was a respected councillor for two decades. However, Laura was deeply affected by the drowning death of her daughter, Cathy and has come to extreme lengths to “Bring Her Back.”
Admittedly, I have to admit that I like Talk to Me a bit better than Bring Her Back, though I wouldn’t say that this film is in any way a sophomore slump for Danny and Michael Philippou. While I consider myself relatively desensitized to graphic violence in horror films, there are moments within Bring Her Back that made even me cringe. Even though I am not the biggest fan of such generalizations, Bring Her Back is the epitome of an “A24 Horror Film.” Also, along with the upcoming Dangerous Animals, I would describe Bring Her Back as being part of a new era for Australian horror.
Trailer for Bring Her Back
