Presence is a 2024 psychological thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Lucy Liu, Julia Fox and Chris Sullivan. The film was written by David Koepp, his second collaboration with Soderbergh after Kimi (2022).
It was released by NEON on January 24, 2025.
Synopsis[]
A family discover they are not alone when they move into a new house.
Cast[]
- Lucy Liu as Rebecca Payne
- Julia Fox as Cece
- Chris Sullivan as Chris Payne
- Callina Liang as Chloe Payne
- Eddy Maday as Tyler Payne
- West Mulholland as Ryan
- Lucas Papaelias as Carl
Production[]
The film, written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, was not announced publicly until December 2023 when it was revealed to be part of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Principal photography took place in late 2023 with an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The film is shot entirely in the first-person perspective, and was filmed in Cranford, New Jersey.
Release[]
Presence premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024. Shortly after, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film for $5 million. The film was released in select theaters in the United States on January 17, 2025, before expanding wide a week later, on January 24.
Reception[]
Presence garnered very positive reception following its Sundance premiere. On Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 43 critics' aggregated reviews are adjudged as being positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "A slow-burning spectral thriller, Presence reaffirms that Soderbergh plays with form as deftly as he flits between genres." Metacritic assigned the film an average score of 78 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favourable" reviews.
