Bring Her Back

Andy (Billy Barratt) and his stepsister Piper (Sora Wong) are devastated by the unexpected death of their father. Andy is very protective of Piper, who is almost completely blind, and the siblings can’t bear the idea of being separated by the foster system. Andy is only a few months away from being old enough to apply for guardianship. But luckily a foster parent is found who is willing to take them both.

 

 

 

Laura (Sally Hawkins) welcomes Andy and Piper with open arms. But from the beginning, she gives off

strange vibes. Perhaps it’s because she is still mourning the death of her daughter, Cathy. Laura has another foster child, Oliver (Jonah Wren Phillips). Ollie is mute, but Laura says it’s psychological, there is no physical reason for his silence.

 

 

 

Ollie is – to put it lightly – odd. Not to mention, he has some unusual dietary  habits. Laura becomes very close to Piper, but for some reason never warms up to Andy. He is made to feel like the odd man out. He becomes suspicious of Laura and her motives. Things are definitely not what they seem.

 

Bring Her Back, directed by Danny and Michelle Phillipou, is a film that is pretty on the outside but hollow inside. The acting is fine, the cinematography appropriately creepy. But it lacks both substance and originality. The basic premise seems obvious from the outset. Actually, Laura Hawkins’ performance is a bit over the top. And the storyline made no sense to me. Even at the end of the film, I had questions. While I’ll admit that I’ve seen worse, I don’t exactly consider that a glowing recommendation. I know most of the reviews I saw were far more favorable, but this is just my opinion, of course. It wasn’t a waste of time, but I honestly don’t recommend it. I’ll give this film 3 Stars.