Edit
Storyline
In this darkly romantic ghost story, a woman (Academy Award Winner Mira Sorvino) travels to an isolated cabin where she finds herself stalked by an apparition (Shane West, "A Walk To Remember") who has come to inhabit her space as his own. With the unexpected arrival of the woman's boyfriend (Golden Globe nominee Justin Kirk, "Weeds"), the dark spirit's haunting grows more obsessive. Soon the woman begins to exhibit weirdly irrational behavior as the thin line between sanity and possession begins to unravel. A stunning directorial debut from Tom Provost, "The Presence" is grounded in terrific performances, beautiful cinematography, a lush musical score, and a Hitchcockian style that explores the idea of pure cinematic storytelling. Written by
Flatland Pictures
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Taglines:
Don't Believe Everything You Hear
Motion Picture Rating
(MPAA)
Rated PG-13 for some frightening material and thematic elements
Edit
Did You Know?
Goofs
The motor on the small boat the woman takes out for the day is clearly an electric trolling motor, yet the sound is that of a gas powered engine.
See more »
I've never seen a "ghost story" use a device such as this. I won't tell you what it is, but let you see for yourself. At first I thought it was kind of laughable, but during the course of the movie it got creepier and creepier for me.
Filmed in Oregon, the beautiful cinematography seems to be another character in the film as is the haunting film score that sets the mood right from the titles. The film's opening shots reveal a remote cabin on an island lake in the woods, and there's something ominous in the stillness of these scenes and what they reveal.
Mira Sorvino plays a woman who retreats to this, her family's cabin, for some serious alone time to write and reflect. But, even before her fiancé joins her there, she's not really alone, and falls under the spell of the cabin. Traumatic memories from the past overcome her (with a little supernatural assistance) and threaten to destroy her life and future happiness. But, supernatural help from another source puts things right for her . . . at least for now.
Something about this film reminded me of Passengers (which I really liked) although there's no similarity at all in the story lines. Maybe it's just the dreamy way the film unfolds as well as its supernatural elements. Also, both films effectively use their locations to set the tone for their stories.