The Presence

(2011) ***1/2

A woman moves into a cabin on an island. She spends time alone and works. The cabin she lives in is also inhabited by a ghost. The ghost is always present in the cabin, and stands/sits/lays beside the woman at every moment she is in the house. A few surprise, ghostly things start to happen, but the woman does not suspect much. Later, the woman's boyfriend comes for a visit. The ghost gets jealous, but does not harm either person. Then, another, more talkative ghost shows up, and begins whispering into the ears of the woman, her boyfriend, and the ghost in an effort to manipulate the situation and cause harm to all involved.

This movie is not scary . This movie is not entertaining. I'm giving it a high rating, due mostly to style and originality. There is not a word of dialogue until 17:31 of an 85-minute film. It's just the woman, walking around, constantly shadowed by the ghost. Some confusing things happen, caused by the ghost, but, like a normal person, she just corrects them and goes about her business.

This is about as creepy as the movie gets

The cinematography and landscapes are beautiful. If the director can't get any more work doing features, he likely will have a future in documentary film making. The love-triangle that develops between the woman, man, and ghost is unique too, especially since neither the man nor woman know that the ghost exists. The ghost, looks far too much like one of the twilight-vampires, and the film's setting is similar to those films as well. Fortunately, this ghost doesn't talk so it doesn't get nearly as annoying as those films. (sidenote - next year, someone needs to review all the twilight movies).

Nothing about this film is predictable, but then again, even if you don't know what's coming, there still isn't much of a payoff. Worth watching if you want something fresh, but keep in mind there are no scares or gore.