The Presence

The Presence

2010

Horror

2.5 stars out of 5

So many stories about life after death, about good vs. evil, it’s a question that has troubled Man for a long time. Hollywood has taken a crack at it time and time again, too. There are some good ideas out there that are truly entertaining (Defending Your Life), but I’m sorry to say The Presence isn’t one of them.

Writer and director Tom Provost gets some points for cinematography and the courage to go twenty or so minutes into the movie without a single word of dialog.  We watch a nameless woman played by Mira Sorvino enter a log cabin that we later learn goes back to her childhold. We are introduced to a man (Shane West) within the cabin prior to her arrival wherein we quickly learn some interesting restrictions and freedoms placed on this man. Mira’s boyfriend (Justin Kirk) arrives shortly thereafter, and then the “fun” begins.

We have an opportunity to see the afterlife from another perspective, and of the eternal war between good and bad also from this new perspective. I think the idea is somewhat clever, and I am not sorry I spent the time watching this movie; but it is truly a mediocre movie. The acting is really at a low level, there’s no character development, nor really any real characters that you could describe that have more than two dimensions. They lay the groundwork with hints of child and wife abuse, but don’t explore it at all.

The idea is slightly novel and I enjoyed the scenary (kept wondering if that was Mt Hood in the background of the “lake”), but this movie was ultimtately disappointing.