Emily Harris

Movie analysis

A Brief Review:

When I heard that Danny and Michael Philippou had produced another horror, I was immediately excited. Their first feature, ‘Talk to me’ was a very interesting concept and left me entertained throughout. What’s more, the movie was furnished with many unsettling moments. I regret not watching this excellent horror at cinema as this may have hindered the full effect of the great terrors. Thus, when I first saw the trailer for ‘Bring Her Back’, I knew this would be one to watch on the big screen. I made a point of only watching the trailer a few times as I wanted to go into the film not knowing what to expect. My only question from the trailers was “Who was being brought back?” As my focus centred on the unusual seeming child with the shaved head, I queried, “was this the one being brought back?” After watching the film at the cinema, I was glad I had neglected to over-analyse the trailer as I was genuinely shocked throughout each unpredictable scene.

I expected the movie to be unsettling, as its predecessor ‘Talk to Me’ exhumed wincing reactions from me. However, I can wholeheartedly declare that ‘Bring Her Back’ was something else entirely. I felt extremely on edge from the first jump-scare (which was very unforeseen). There were not many other big frights like this one, but it was the sense of not knowing whether there would be another that made me feel significantly tense throughout. My leg was continuously bouncing with anxiety. Additionally, there were many shocking and unsavoury moments that made me recoil. Thus, the film was satisfactory in its amount of traditional jump-scares as well as unpleasant moments (which is exactly what is desired in a strong horror movie).

Furthermore, the plot was heartbreaking with the inclusion of carefully constructed characters. For instance, I formed a compassionate attachment to the abused children (especially Andy). I also underwent intense feelings of loathing for Laura. In summary, as the directors were successful in eliciting such strong feelings from me, I would argue this is a very well-made film.

Plot Summary:

The story follows two siblings, Andy and Piper, who find their father dead in the bathroom. They are then placed into the care of Laura, their new foster mother, who has recently lost her own daughter, Cathy. Like Piper, Cathy was also visually impaired and Laura is very excited to welcome her into her home. However, she does not seem very enthusiastic to have Andy living with her too. Oliver is another foster child of Laura’s, who appears to be very strange. Andy picks up on his oddities straight away and clashes with Laura when she discovers he has been quite rude about him in a text message to his friend. Laura attempts to isolate Andy throughout the film, driving him to an intense mental breakdown. It is then discovered that Laura desires to use Oliver (who she had in reality kidnapped and allowed a demon to enter his body) in a satanic ritual to transfer Cathy’s soul into Piper’s body. Andy is later murdered by Laura, who also attempts to undertake the ritual by drowning Piper (as this is how her daughter died). After calling her “mum”, Laura decides not to kill Piper and instead drowns herself next to the body of her own daughter. The police arrive with Oliver and Piper being freed.

Analysis:

The complex character of Laura:

Throughout the course of the film, we, the audience are subjected to multiple moments of child abuse at the hands of Laura. Going back to ‘Talk to Me’, there were a few scenes with children experiencing violence that were quite shocking, however, ‘Bring Her Back’ definitely takes this up a level. The first incident that really makes the audience cringe with disgust is when during his father’s funeral, Andy is forced by Laura to kiss his dead father in his open casket. She expresses she is not satisfied by a mere kiss on his head and insists Andy should kiss him on his lips, stating that “it’s custom”. This immediately makes the audience feel very uncomfortable and as this is the first major instance of child abuse within the film, this indicates a clear sign of more gruesome acts to come. During this scene, Andy’s visually impaired sister, Piper, is not present. Laura has purposefully chosen this moment to begin her abuse on Andy as she can do so discreetly. Throughout the movie, Laura hides the mistreatment of Andy from Piper and attempts to turn her against her brother. Laura is a thus a master manipulator and very calculated. This is further demonstrated when the audience discovers that Andy has not been wetting the bed every night but instead, Laura has been urinating in a jug and pouring it over his head. She does this with an incredibly stern look on her face, highlighting her callousness. This is the opposite of how a mother should behave and act towards children in her care. Child abuse is one of the most foul sins of this world and she performed this act so easily and simply. Thus, the audience may feel violated witnessing this moment with their hearts breaking for Andy. Laura continuously psychologically tears him apart as the film goes on, using her counselling qualifications to manipulate him. She recognisably possesses a strong grasp on child psychology and uses this against both Andy and Piper. This goes against all psychological institutes’ codes of conducts and more importantly, goes against all moral code. Thus, it can be argued that Laura is a morally corrupt character.

Furthermore, the audience is exposed to hints from the very beginning regarding her sinister ambitions. During her introduction, she is portrayed as being very excited to welcome Piper into her home. Laura looks only at her to begin with, completely ignoring Andy. When she finally breaks her gaze with Piper to speak to him, she immediately cannot even remember his name. This initially highlights to the audience that he is just an afterthought. She then goes to take a photo with Piper where Andy is clearly blocked out of the image. This may be an early foreshadowing of his inevitable death as he is literally “taken out of the picture”. This begs the question of whether Laura intentionally forgets Andy’s name in order to make him feel isolated from the start. Thus, this scene demonstrates immediately that her and Andy would possibly clash in the future. It could be questioned that this was too early a point in the story for Laura to be revealed as the main antagonist, as this hinders any chance of a surprise reveal. On the contrary, some audience members may give Laura the benefit of the doubt during this moment in time and argue she is just excited to have a fellow female in the house and potentially accidentally disregarded Andy. Therefore, this would allow the reveal of her villainous intentions to be more shocking to the audience, as they could not yet conceive of her master manipulation that was present during her first scene. The audience is further subjected to hints of wickedness when Laura is seen to be quite forceful when measuring Oliver, pushing his head against the wall. This is an early indication of the abuse he is suffering, which Laura doesn’t really strain herself to hide as she is very non-discreetly keeping him locked in his room when she leaves the house. Oliver also appears to be a very obviously strange child as he is seen attempting to kill Laura’s cat towards the beginning of the film. Laura also doesn’t attempt to hide his peculiarities from the children. This implies that she is so concerned by enticing Piper under her spell as well as the all-consuming desperation of her primary mission to bring her daughter back that she allows oddities slip through the cracks. However, Laura is mostly presented as extremely methodical and calculated. For example, in order to frame Andy, she sprays his deodorant on her body to then go into Piper’s room and strike her in the eye. This moment, accompanied by the “urine scene” and the conversations to Piper regarding Andy’s mythical anger problems all illustrate premeditated and thoughtful acts. This indicates to the audience that Laura has planned everything from as soon as she knew she would be looking after Piper and Andy. Therefore, Laura is definitely a purposeful and calculated character.

Nevertheless, there were some positive elements to Laura’s personality. She is portrayed as being eccentric, funny and even loving during certain events. Through these moments, the audience is shown how Laura likely was a great mother to her daughter. Laura was the “best” child councillor after all. Additionally, there is scene where she asks Piper if she would like to stay with her after Andy turns eighteen. This suggests that Laura wants her to stay of her own free will and would proceed with the demonic ritual of placing her daughter’s soul into Piper’s body if she agrees in that moment. Thus, it is hinted that Laura does genuinely love and care for Piper. Furthermore, this is the only person she did show any affection for as she decides ultimately not to drown Piper. This is after she calls her “Mum” whilst in the pool, which Laura earlier states that she would “give anything to hear” again. This highlights even more how Laura views Piper as a possible daughter and does exhibit some signs of love for her. The same cannot be said for Andy as she stifles him in a pond. This is very grisly to watch as the audience is rooting for him to escape after having gone through years of abuse and ordeals. Therefore, the detestable parts of Laura’s personality out-weigh any potential traces of goodness. She may have once been a loving mother but she has now been consumed by grief, which has blackened her. Even when Laura decides to not go through with the ritual and instead ends it all through her suicide, she does not attempt to help Connor escape. It could be argued that she only cares about helping Piper and thus she cannot be granted a full redemption. In summary, despite the positive elements of Laura’s character, such as, her humour and occasional moments of tenderness, her grief has contaminated her morals and person.

Who did Lauren manipulate the most?

It could be stated that the answer to the above question is Piper as she is turned against her own brother and made to believe he is unstable and violent. She is also actively sought out by Laura as a blind girl who resembles her deceased daughter. This is extremely unsettling as Laura then uses Piper’s disability against her. For instance, as well as thrashing her eye whilst wearing Andy’s deodorant and misinforming her that he had been demonstrating aggressive behaviours, she also takes advantage of Piper’s blindness from the very beginning. Laura does so by lying about Oliver’s hair colour. She claims he has ginger, curly hair when in reality his head is shaved. Andy gives her a strange look when she utters this odd lie. This could imply to the audience straight away how Laura has created this fantasy life for Piper, with Andy on the outside of it all in the cruel reality. Laura obviously knows Oliver does not have ginger hair and is playing a joke on Piper, which indicates that if she can lie about something as trivial as this, she could be hiding more from Piper. Therefore, Piper is primed to be manipulated from her very first interaction with Laura.

Connor Bird is another poor victim of Laura’s and arguably the most tortured out of the three children. He is operated as a puppet, who completely changes his physical form and identity. For example, the audience experiences brief moments in Connor’s reflection and through the window where they can glimpse devilish horns and features. He is no longer an innocent little boy but a damnable and unholy monster. Even his hair is taken away from him, perhaps representing outwardly what he has lost inside. To take a person’s soul, especially one so pure, such as, a child’s, is the most unimaginably evil act an individual could commit. It is an extremely relieving moment for the audience when he is discovered by the police. Thus, it could be viewed that Connor is the most used and abused by Laura as she stole everything from him.

Moving onto the character of Andy, who is never completely fooled by Laura. However, as previously mentioned, Laura pours her own urine onto Andy’s sheets at night, leading him to believe that he has been wetting the bed. This disgusting act combined with the implication that Laura may have been drugging Andy as everyday he wakes up drooling (discussed in @spookyastronauts YouTube video), illustrates how she is attempting to push him towards a complete mental breakdown. Therefore, Laura is manipulating Andy in a completely different way to Piper, segregating him, but pulling Piper closer to her. There is a brief moment where Andy and Laura share some of their experiences and he thanks her for a lovely evening. She doesn’t let him get too comfortable with her as she cunningly slips into the conversation that Andy once hit his sister. This demonstrates to the audience that Laura is not concerned with leading him into a false sense of security and wants him to feel uneasy at all times, asserting her dominance. Laura is thus abusing and disregarding Andy just as his father did. The more isolated Andy feels, the more she can get her claws into Piper. This may lead the audience to experience the most commiseration for Andy as Piper is so easily manipulated by Laura and cannot see how she is mistreating her brother. They may sympathise more with his pain as he isn’t treated equally. Although, Laura plans to kill Piper, it is clear she still adores her. Andy is despised by her because he stands in the way of her goals and is a rogue piece in her game. This may steer the audience to feel more connected to Andy as he is genuinely hated by those that are supposed to show him the most affection. Moreover, up until his death, the film is mostly displayed from his point of view. The audience watches him wake up in bed everyday to wet sheets. As previously mentioned, he also has a long conversation with Laura whilst Piper is asleep. Therefore, the audience is exposed to a lot more of Andy’s character and his day to day life. In summary, it could be argued that Andy is manipulated the most as he driven by Laura to a complete mental collapse. However, as majority of the film appears to be from Andy’s perspective, the audience may be biased by sympathy in believing him to be the most exploited by Laura.

Themes and Sybolism:

Piper being visually impaired is an important theme within ‘Bring Her Back’, which could symbolise how she is blinded at first to Laura’s manipulation. Andy assists her with walking, symbolising how he is her guide and eyes. This suggests how Laura tries to be rid of him as he is the only one who can allow Piper to see the truth. Additionally, Piper refuses to use her walking stick, which, just like Andy, is how she sees and permits her to scope her surroundings. This demonstrates again how she is perhaps reluctant to perceive the reality of Laura’s wickedness.

Arguably the most fundamental element of ‘Bring Her Back’ is the theme of grief. Most of the characters are shown to be experiencing a loss. Firstly, the audience witnesses the death of Andy and Piper’s father, which is the catalyst that leads to the children entering the care of Laura. During the first scene set in Laura’s house, a mat is taped down to the floor. This was to ensure that Cathy, her deceased daughter, did not trip over it as she was also blind. This moment is an early hint that Laura is fixed in the “denial” stage of the grieving process. She cannot accept that her daughter is gone and is obsessed with the vehement desire to “Bring her back”. Laura even goes to the extremes of excavating her daughter’s body from her grave, violating her final resting place. She then ventures to defy the laws of mortality by undergoing a satanic ritual to transfer Cathy’s soul into the body of an innocent child. Thus, the immense power of Laura’s grief has steered her into committing immoral and unholy acts that go against her own laws as part of her role as a child counsellor.

Circles are another motif displayed throughout the film. A circle of salt is often employed to keep out bad spirits. In ‘Bring Her Back’, however, this seems to be the opposite. Laura uses the circle she produced around her house to keep everyone contained in her web of lies. The children are cordoned off from the rest of the world and from reality itself. Laura has built this gruesome fairy tale world, where she will cruelly bring her daughter back from the dead. She refuses to come to terms with the laws of death and mortality and so, she breaks them. Laura can do whatever she wants in her own world and therefore, the circles could represent her control over her fictional fantasy. Alternatively, circles are also known to symbolise completeness and unity. The links to Laura’s desire to feel whole again. Furthermore, the audience is exposed to different circles constantly throughout the film, such as, when Laura rubs Oliver’s head in a circular motion as well as when she later draws this shape on the window. The repetition of this motif indicates Laura’s desperation to feel complete again as a weighty piece of her soul is missing from her.

Oliver’s is portrayed with a distinct mark on his face, which is also displayed on one of the women in Laura’s cult ritual video. Odd birthmarks were viewed in the 16th century as a way of the devil marking his followers, which were often witches (see willowwinsham.com). This suggests Laura is partaking in witchcraft as she also feeds a clipping of the childrens’ father’s hair to Oliver. Hair is often used in spell and rituals. Moreover, the audience recognises the devil is involved as they are presented with a bestial goat figure in Oliver’s reflection. It is obvious from this scene that he is clearly possessed. As previously mentioned, the audience also glimpses brief and blurry moments of Oliver with horns on his head. The audience, however, never properly observes Oliver in his demon form as they only view him in the background or through the window and so on. This could imply that the demon within him is hiding, he is always there but disguised within the little boy. Possibly, the human naked eye does not allow anyone to wholly gaze upon something so evil. Thus, it could be argued that Laura is a vessel for the devil as witches are. The devil may be the true antagonist of the film as even when Laura decides not to drown Piper, Oliver, possessed by Satan, continues to go after her. This begs the question of whether the devil sought Laura out to use her grief as a weapon against her. On the contrary, as her desperation is so potent, Laura may have been the one to pursue the devil and along the way, obtain the mysterious ritual tapes.

Water is another major theme within the film, however, its connotations are flipped. For instance, water is normally symbolic of cleansing and purifying (a re-birth). The way Laura is drowning Piper is similar to a baptism as she is transforming her into her new life as Cathy. This is extremely sacrilegious, putting a grotesque spin on this holy tradition. Most of Laura’s acts within the film go against God as she seeks out the devil’s cruel assistance and uses an innocent child as a vessel for this malevolent lord. As water washes away sins, this also suggests Laura believes this will cleanse her from the atrocities she has committed against the children and she can start again afresh with Cathy. Additionally, water also symbolises healing, demonstrating how Laura believes drowning Piper in the water will heal her as she will be whole again with Cathy by her side. However, she is reluctant to realise that she must heal from Cathy’s death and move on to find peace. This illustrates further how Laura is twisting the virtuous nature of water itself. Eventually, Laura comes to her senses and drags Cathy’s body into the water, lying next to her as she drowns herself. This indicates how she is attempting to put everything right, accepting her daughter’s death and allowing them both to rest.