Steven Soderbergh is one of those directors who is always interesting to watch, especially considering he regularly straddles the line between independent and mainstream cinema, with mixed results, but always with an interesting take. This time, he delves into ghost stories with a wonderfully subjective direction that fits perfectly with the director's most interesting work.
A story about ghosts.
While this isn't the first time we've been put in the perspective of a ghost as a protagonist in cinema, screenwriter David Koepp teams up with Steven Soderbergh to give us an interesting film that leaves us with the satisfaction of a job well done. It may not be completely well-rounded and won't be for all audiences, but it's a film worth giving a chance because it has enough to please us. Facing a subjective character, and even more so the fact that this character is a ghostly presence, makes it interesting to follow. Add to that the fact that the director knows how to perfectly fit the camera as the protagonist of the film. The gaze with which he transports us is also the gaze we have as viewers when we invade this conflictive family, with which we never fully understand its details, but we do feel part of it.
Steven Soderbergh deconstructs the horror genre.
One thing we can be clear about when we talk about this film is that it's just a movie Soderbergh could have made. The director's career has always been considered one of someone who doesn't limit himself to things and always seeks to deliver his own score for what he's filming, and here he does it again with a horror genre that the director transforms into a drama, but one that's frightening, that gives you goosebumps, and that makes you uncomfortable like a faithful horror story, but without any jump scares. The director isn't looking for that, but rather to confront us with the terror of death, the terror of what we don't see, the terror of what we don't control, and he does this in a meticulous and studied way, with a thoughtful direction that only he could have achieved. It's a family drama that is terrifying and frightening because we simply have a family that isn't an example; it's a family that intrigues and frightens with its presence.
A satisfying, yet daring twist.
While the film lacks much of a plot and at times seems repetitive in its actions, it's the path to its personally unexpected twist, albeit with small hints that hinted at it, that's the great achievement we're left with after watching the film. While it's a twist that will have its pros and cons, it's quite daring and accomplishes its goal of instilling emotions in the viewer, and with that, the job is done. We may or may not agree with the decisions, but it's a twist that won't leave you indifferent and complements an interesting film that ranks among the highlights of the year so far.
Conclusion.
A delightful film with moments inspired by its director, positioning it as the director's most notable work of recent times. An interesting development, a pair of well-crafted characters and their performances, and a family drama that turns into horror as we begin to understand everything that's happening in that house, with a ghostly look in our eyes that invites you to stay and enjoy the film.
