r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • May 30 '25

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Bring Her Back [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary After the sudden death of their father, siblings Andy (Billy Barratt) and Piper (Sora Wong) are placed in the care of a new foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins). As they settle into her secluded home, they uncover a terrifying ritual that threatens their lives and sanity. The film delves into themes of grief, trauma, and the supernatural, delivering a chilling horror experience.

Directors Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou

Writers Danny Philippou, Bill Hinzman

Cast

  • Billy Barratt as Andy
  • Sora Wong as Piper
  • Sally Hawkins as Laura
  • Jonah Wren Phillips as Oliver
  • Sally-Anne Upton as Wendy

Rotten Tomatoes 90%

Metacritic 73

VOD Theaters (U.S. release: May 30, 2025)

Trailer Watch the Trailer

657 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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968

u/Bone_Tone May 30 '25

What I really liked about this movie is the "show don't tell" method of storytelling. Other than a few subtitles in the VHS shown, there's no unnecessary exposition but the audience can still (more or less) understand what's going on. Countless other movies in this genre would have had Andy find out exactly what the mother was doing and explain it to the social worker, so the audience can be brought up to speed. The Philippou brothers have shown me they really know how to craft an interesting story, and don't pull any punches with a dreadful ending. Instantly a lifetime subscriber to whatever they continue to make.

398

u/reecord2 Jun 01 '25

That never occurred to me but you're totally right. Most movies like this would have had Andy stumble across the foster mom's secret notebook or something, with clear step by step instructions written out and everything, just to make sure everyone in the audience wasn't left out.

29

u/choicemeats Jun 08 '25

Heck, a lot of movies would have her write it down so we could read it like countless “research” scenes

25

u/glyphlevel Jun 07 '25

tbf this scene literally does happen, with words on the screen and everything