Following the success of their debut, Talk to Me, directors Danny and Michael Philippou took a turn on how to approach their latest horror film Bring Her Back. “Talk to Me feels like a party horror film, but this film is more character-driven,” Danny says. “We liked the challenge of a contained story about these three characters, focusing on their relationships.”
As they lean heavily into the characters of Bring Her Back, they couldn’t have thought of anyone better to be Laura, the character who drives the mysterious narrative of the film, than Academy Award-nominated actress Sally Hawkins. “Seeing all these different characters that she [Hawkins] would build big backstories for, that was so exciting to me, the idea of someone bringing that much care to her characters,” Danny says. “Laura is written almost in a more outwardly confident way, but Sally brought this depth to it and portrayed it in a different, more interesting way. Laura struggles with what she’s doing in the film, and that is what humanizes her, I think,” adds Michael.
Hawkins is glad to be a part of this venture, feeling fully confident in the way the Philippou brothers handled the film and the work they put in with the cast. “It’s a delicate piece and dealing with delicate subject matter, albeit in a rather terrifying frame or mask. I felt completely supported and trusted and given the space needed to do what I felt I needed to do,” Hawkins says.
Bring Her Back tells the tale of a brother Andy (Billy Barratt), and his low-vision sister Piper (Sora Wong) as they enter the care of their new foster mother, Laura (Sally Hawkins). Slowly they uncover a terrifying ritual in their new secluded home.
For the role of Piper, the brothers were intent on casting a vision-impaired actor to fit the role they’re tasked with, and 12-year old Sora Wong knocked it out of the park with her audition. “We did this exercise with her, and she played the scene, and she did this improv, and it was incredible,” Michael says. “She just put herself in the mindset of the character. It was, in a way, not even acting. It was just putting herself in it — she’s amazing.”
Wong felt a bond with her character, and it helped her find her footing in stepping into Piper’s shoes. “I loved the character and I connected with her,” Wong says. “A lot of her behavior and thought process I just relate to and it kind of just clicked. There aren’t many characters with visual impairments, and especially not ones that would be the main character in a movie. So, it was a really important and meaningful role and I wanted to portray it right.”
Piper’s elder brother is portrayed by Billy Barratt, whose talent is reflected on being an International Emmy Award-winner at 13 years old for the TV movie Responsible Child, which caught the attention of the Philippous. “We wanted to cast Billy in Talk to Me,” Danny notes, but they were thrilled to have another chance with him on this film. “He’s a flourishing talent, someone who is game to go places and push himself.”
Barratt cherishes the time spent filming Bring Her Back, and the experience of working with Wong in particular. “There were scenes where emotion was hard to conjure, because there was just so much going on or maybe the scene just didn’t click yet,” Barratt says. “But I think we had a particular trust in each other.”
Unravel the mystery as Bring Her Back arrives in Philippine cinemas on July 16. Bring Her Back is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.