I first saw Presence at TIFF back in September 2024 and have already provided my spoiler-free thoughts. With that being said, this home review of Steven Soderbergh’s film is going to be incredibly spoiler heavy, talking about the film in greater depth, and not leaving many stones unturned. So, if you haven’t seen the movie before, go watch it first, then we can talk about this home release. There is no denying that Soderbergh (Black Bag) is a great and prolific director, but what he does with Presence from a direction standpoint is truly one of the best things of his career, and this rewatch revealed a few things missed on the first watch.
Callina Liang as Chloe in PRESENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Photo Credit: Peter Andrews. © The Spectral Spirit Company.
Aside from having Soderbergh involved as director, editor, and cinematographer, we also have the incredible David Koepp (Jurassic Park; Mission: Impossible; Spider-Man; Black Bag) who penned the script. These two powerhouse minds created one of the (if not “the”) best ghost story to be presented on screen. It truly is a marvel that gives so much more on a rewatch than it could ever do on an initial viewing and its solely because once you know that final shot, knowing how it ends offers something to pay attention to and watch out for. When Chris and Rebekah (Chris Sullivan and Lucy Liu, respectively) first look at purchasing their new home, they are told that the mirror above the fireplace is made of silver nitrate. It is such a nerdy thing to know, but it’s an “if you know you know” kind of thing which makes the ending of the movie so much more haunting and impactful. Full-blown spoiler territory now, though — silver nitrate was an old process to create film. To quote Google, “it was a light-sensitive salt, and when exposed to light, it would transform into metallic silver, creating the image on the film. This process is crucial for recording and displaying images on film”. The end of the movie has Rebekah looking into the mirror and seeing Tyler (Eddy Maday), her son, stuck in the mirror after saving his sister, Chloe (Callina Liang), from the serial killer who posed as his friend, Ryan (West Mulholland).
L-R: Chris Sullivan as Chris and Lucy Liu as Rebekah in PRESENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Photo Credit: Peter Andrews. © The Spectral Spirit Company.
With catching that line about the silver nitrate in the opening minutes of the film, the entire film and ending is so much more powerful and impactful than it was the first time watching it not knowing where it was going. There is something so subtle and important while also feeling insignificant about the line without knowing the end of the film. The devil is always in the details and Koepp manages to completely engage the audience throughout while planting the seeds for the finale immediately. Knowing this while watching everything unfold between Tyler and Chloe in a typical sibling rivalry and Rebekah and Chris’s marriage getting pushed to the limits makes everything more tense and terrifying as the events play out but also makes everything more somber. It’s truly a plethora of riches and insight that is fleshed out with each subsequent watch.
Lucy Liu as Rebekah in PRESENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Photo Credit: Peter Andrews. © The Spectral Spirit Company.
Speaking of plethora of riches, this Neon-released Blu-ray and 4K is lacking a single rich let alone a plethora of them. The Blu-ray is what we were provided for review. There is not a singular feature on this home release — nothing. No commentary, not a trailer, not even a featurette; just the movie itself on an incredibly fun menu. The menu itself is the beginning of the movie, the POV of the ghost exploring the house, getting audiences cautiously ready for the story they’re about to explore and bare witness to. With Soderbergh doing the directing, editing, and cinematography, a commentary track would have been spectacular, and a behind-the-scenes featurette about how he managed to shoot it all and about his collaborative efforts with David Koepp would’ve rounded out this home release exceptionally.
Callina Liang as Chloe in PRESENCE, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Photo Credit: Peter Andrews. © The Spectral Spirit Company.
Regardless though, even without a singular feature on the home release, Soderbergh’s Presence is still a must-own for any serious collector. Whether it’s a day-one purchase or not is up to the individual (preference to own a slip or not), but it speaks to the magnitude of the brilliance of the film. While there is nothing more to owning this on disk than there is to streaming it, per say (except when the license expires and it disappears into the endless void), the film itself is more than worth the dive into the wallet for a spot on your shelf.
No bonus features included with this release.
Available on VOD and digital February 25th, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray May 20th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official NEON Presence webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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