Neon debuted a teaser trailer for Presence, a new film by Steven Soderbergh. Famous from his works on ‘Sex, Lies, and Videotape’, the Ocean’s series, ‘Magic Mike’, and numerous other successful films, Soderbergh is diving into the horror/psychological thriller genre with ‘Presence’. The film is filmed entirely by Soderbergh (who also acts as the cinematographer and editor of the film), in a first-person perspective from the eyes of an entity lurking around the family-home setting of the film.
‘Presence’ had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the film is also scheduled to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival this September.
Starring the film are Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Release Date
Directed by Steven Soderbergh, ‘Presence’ opens in select US theaters on January 17, 2025 before its wide release on January 24, 2025.
Synopsis
A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.
In an interview with Filmmaker Magazine, Soderbergh talked about his process of creating the film, saying, “I wrote about 10 pages that basically just had a series of shots, over time, in the house, from what you sensed was some point of view, but which wasn’t clear yet. Then some people start to show up in the house. I had the idea that it’s a four-person family unit and there’s something going on, and that it [the presence] is attracted to the daughter, but we don’t know why. And the family seems dysfunctional. That was 10 pages. I sent them to David Koepp and said, “Does this spark anything?” And he said, “I know what to do with this.””
Reviews
Brian Tallerico in a RogerEbert.com review praised Soderbergh’s approach to the film, writing, “It’s so inspiring that Soderbergh is still here making movies the way he wants to make them, playing with form in fresh and exciting ways, reminding us that he is one of film’s more remarkable storytellers.”
David Rooney in a Hollywood Reporter review also praised the film, writing, “It’s an invigorating feeling to know early on in a movie that you’re in confident hands, and Steven Soderbergh conveys that assurance instantaneously in the opening moments of Presence.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official teaser trailer for ‘Presence’.