Beware the quirky foster mother who introduces herself as a bit of a weirdo. That鈥檚 how Laura (Sally Hawkins) cheerily greets the newly orphaned teenage siblings Andy and Piper in the new horror 鈥淏ring Her Back,鈥� which .
The comment, more telling than the kids realize at the time, comes after Laura excitedly introduces Piper, who is non-sighted, to her dog. She thinks it鈥檚 a good joke to not explain first that the animal is not alive.
The taxidermy is in fact the least weird thing about Laura. Australian filmmakers Michael and Danny Philippou, also behind the teen chiller debut have dreamed up a new nightmare of trauma, grief, resurrection and the deep failures of Australia鈥檚 child protective services. That last part is not actually a prominent throughline in the film, but after witnessing what these kids endure in the brisk 104-minute runtime, you too might have some questions about that department鈥檚 standard practices.
Many horror movies and stories have utilized non-seeing characters to enhance the suspense. 鈥淏ring Her Back鈥� strives to make Piper (newcomer Sora Wong) more than a gimmick but a young woman trying to assert her independence 鈥� she refuses to use her cane, which she thinks makes everyone baby her.
Piper鈥檚 main protector is her sweet and attentive older brother Andy (Billy Barratt). The film gives the audience a morsel of normality with these two before plunging us into the horror, first with the sudden death of their father, and then with the strange goings on at Laura鈥檚 secluded home.
They鈥檙e surprised when they arrive to find there鈥檚 another child there as well: Olly (Jonah Wren Phillips), who is mute, deeply strange and, when not locked in his room, getting into bloody messes of his own making. If you鈥檙e squeamish about gaping wounds and the full surround sound experience of their squishing and oozing, this might not be the movie for you. For those who delight in the crafts behind it all, the makeup and sound work here is truly top notch.
Like many of 鈥淏ring Her Back鈥檚鈥� genre peers, the occult, nude older men and grainy VHS tapes also co-star in the proceedings. Laura, whose non-seeing daughter drowned recently, is particularly fixated on Piper and equally as dismissive of poor Andy.
While you can probably guess her endgame, the way it comes together is more of the point, and the Philippou twins certainly infuse the film with a fair amount of foreboding before anything truly deranged starts happening. It鈥檚 a fun mystery to watch Laura鈥檚 strange behavior, which one eventful day includes encouraging Andy to kiss his dead father on the lips ("it's custom"), getting the kids drunk and peeing in a measuring cup.
Andy, three months shy of 18, was not originally supposed to accompany his sister to the foster home. But he convinces the social worker to give him a chance until he can apply for legal guardianship. Unfortunately, Laura seems intent on driving him away. He already has lingering trauma from finding his dead father (and other things that will be revealed in time), and now there鈥檚 this chipper, tiny woman ready to gaslight him into insanity. Barratt, who won acclaim for his portrayal of a 12-year-old accused of killing his mother鈥檚 boyfriend in the British television film 鈥淩esponsible Child,鈥� is excellent in a difficult role.
Hawkins, meanwhile, gets to be bigger and wilder with Laura, shedding the nurturing mothers of 鈥淧addington鈥� and 鈥淲onka鈥� for something defiantly disturbed. She鈥檚 also got a few delightfully chilling lines that I won鈥檛 spoil. And yet somehow Hawkins is also able to stay clear of campiness and make Laura, unhinged though she may be, the teeniest bit empathetic.
The film doesn鈥檛 quite earn the emotional catharsis it seems to be striving for. It鈥檚 a little too insane and also underdeveloped, especially Piper鈥檚 character, to let the audience in on that level. But if you鈥檝e come for unexpected scares and creativity, 鈥淏ring Her Back鈥� will not disappoint.
鈥淏ring Her Back,鈥� an A24 release in theaters Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for 鈥渟ome grisly images, language, graphic nudity, strong violent content, underage drinking). Running time: 104 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
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This story has been updated to reflect that the movie is 104 minutes long, not 99 minutes.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
