A jangling score and unnerving camerawork build tension in story of a woman convinced her daughter is back from the dead
Andrea Riseborough is a powerful actor who could bring emotional complexity to a tomato ketchup advert. Here she’s intense in an understated way as a grieving mother who becomes convinced that the girl next door is her daughter, back from the dead. That reincarnation storyline is not unfamiliar, and to be honest it made my heart sink a bit at first. But this atmospheric and unsettling slowburn drama from Northern Ireland pulls it off, just.
Riseborough plays a woman called Laura whose daughter Josie died several years earlier; she lives in Antrim with her husband Brendan (Jonjo O’Neill) and their teenage son Tadhg (Lewis McAskie). They are a family getting on with it, bearing the unbearable. But beneath the dinner table banter, you sense that each of them is alone with their grief.
Andrea Riseborough is a powerful actor who could bring emotional complexity to a tomato ketchup advert. Here she’s intense in an understated way as a grieving mother who becomes convinced that the girl next door is her daughter, back from the dead. That reincarnation storyline is not unfamiliar, and to be honest it made my heart sink a bit at first. But this atmospheric and unsettling slowburn drama from Northern Ireland pulls it off, just.
Riseborough plays a woman called Laura whose daughter Josie died several years earlier; she lives in Antrim with her husband Brendan (Jonjo O’Neill) and their teenage son Tadhg (Lewis McAskie). They are a family getting on with it, bearing the unbearable. But beneath the dinner table banter, you sense that each of them is alone with their grief.
- 2/15/2022
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
New neighbors can be a source of great anxiety. Maybe they’ll be extremely kind and friendly, coming over to introduce themselves and strike up a friendship that lasts years. Perhaps they’ll be quiet and you won’t even know they’re there. But they could be absolute menaces, loudly causing disturbances all night long and creating tension that makes you uncomfortable in your own home. What if, though, their daughter is the reincarnation of your tragically deceased child?
That’s the dilemma plaguing Laura (Andrea Riseborough) in Here Before, the feature debut of writer-director Stacey Gregg. While she will forever mourn the tragic loss of her young daughter, Laura has managed to create a daily routine with her husband (Jonjo O’Neill) and son (Jesse Frazer-Filler), moving through life in the wake of unimaginable loss. When Megan (Niamh Dornan) moves in next door with her parents (Eileen O’Higgins and Martin McCann), though,...
That’s the dilemma plaguing Laura (Andrea Riseborough) in Here Before, the feature debut of writer-director Stacey Gregg. While she will forever mourn the tragic loss of her young daughter, Laura has managed to create a daily routine with her husband (Jonjo O’Neill) and son (Jesse Frazer-Filler), moving through life in the wake of unimaginable loss. When Megan (Niamh Dornan) moves in next door with her parents (Eileen O’Higgins and Martin McCann), though,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Mitchell Beaupre
- The Film Stage
With a limited theatrical release on February 11th and a VOD release on February 15th, here's a look at the trailer for Here Before, directed by Stacey Gregg and starring Andrea Riseborough:
"Andrea Riseborough (Black Mirror) is spellbinding as the distraught mother, haunted by the death of her young daughter, who develops an all-consuming obsession over the neighbor's girl who she believes is the reincarnation of her child.
When new neighbors move in, Laura (Riseborough) is awakened from her mundane daily routine of errands and exercise. She becomes transfixed by their young daughter, Megan (astonishing newcomer Niamh Dornan). Megan’s parents Marie and Chris, initially don’t seem to mind as Laura offers Megan a ride home from school and an invitation to dinner.
Her husband Brendon grows concerned as his wife’s infatuation with the young girl spirals into increasingly erratic behavior. Eerily, Megan seemingly knows far too...
"Andrea Riseborough (Black Mirror) is spellbinding as the distraught mother, haunted by the death of her young daughter, who develops an all-consuming obsession over the neighbor's girl who she believes is the reincarnation of her child.
When new neighbors move in, Laura (Riseborough) is awakened from her mundane daily routine of errands and exercise. She becomes transfixed by their young daughter, Megan (astonishing newcomer Niamh Dornan). Megan’s parents Marie and Chris, initially don’t seem to mind as Laura offers Megan a ride home from school and an invitation to dinner.
Her husband Brendon grows concerned as his wife’s infatuation with the young girl spirals into increasingly erratic behavior. Eerily, Megan seemingly knows far too...
- 1/6/2022
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Saban Films has landed rights to “Here Before,” a psychological thriller starring Andrea Riseborough.
When the deal closes, Saban Films will distribute the movie in North America, South Africa and its global partner Defiant Screen Entertainment will handle Australia and New Zealand.
First-time feature filmmaker Stacey Gregg wrote and directed “Here Before,” which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Along with Riseborough, the cast includes Jonjo O’Neill (“The Fall”), Martin McCann (“Calibre”), Eileen O’Higgins (“Brooklyn”) and newcomer Niamh Dornan.
In “Here Before,” Riseborough plays Laura, a grieving mother who becomes emotionally affected by the presence of her new neighbors’ young daughter. The logline reads: “When a new family moves in next door, their young daughter, Megan, quickly captivates Laura, stirring up painful memories of her own daughter who died several years previously. Before long, Laura’s memories turn to obsession as Megan’s unsettling behavior begins to convince her of something supernatural.
When the deal closes, Saban Films will distribute the movie in North America, South Africa and its global partner Defiant Screen Entertainment will handle Australia and New Zealand.
First-time feature filmmaker Stacey Gregg wrote and directed “Here Before,” which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Along with Riseborough, the cast includes Jonjo O’Neill (“The Fall”), Martin McCann (“Calibre”), Eileen O’Higgins (“Brooklyn”) and newcomer Niamh Dornan.
In “Here Before,” Riseborough plays Laura, a grieving mother who becomes emotionally affected by the presence of her new neighbors’ young daughter. The logline reads: “When a new family moves in next door, their young daughter, Megan, quickly captivates Laura, stirring up painful memories of her own daughter who died several years previously. Before long, Laura’s memories turn to obsession as Megan’s unsettling behavior begins to convince her of something supernatural.
- 11/18/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
2021 SXSW Here Before Review — Here Before (2020) Video Movie Review from the 28th Annual South By Southwest Film Festival, a movie directed by Stacey Gregg, and starring Andrea Riseborough, Eileen O’Higgins, Jonjo O’Neill, Martin McCann, Lewis McAskie, Louise Mathews, Niamh Dornan, and Remi Shore. Crew Stacey Gregg wrote the screenplay for the Here [...]
Continue reading: Video Movie Review: Here Before: Andrea Riseborough’s Performance Stands out in Melodramatic Exploration of Grief & Loss [SXSW 2021]...
Continue reading: Video Movie Review: Here Before: Andrea Riseborough’s Performance Stands out in Melodramatic Exploration of Grief & Loss [SXSW 2021]...
- 5/8/2021
- by Andrew Toy
- Film-Book
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to check out an array of projects from three different female filmmakers who were part of the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, including Here Before, which was written and directed by Stacey Gregg, Kier-La Janisse’s folk horror doc Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched, as well as Witch Hunt from writer/director Elle Callahan.
Read on to see what I thought of this trio of films out of this year’s SXSW, and be sure to keep an eye out for more on these projects in the near future as well.
Here Before: With her feature film debut, Irish writer/director Stacey Gregg makes quite a statement with Here Before, a psychological thriller that also happens to be a thoughtful cinematic meditation on grief and motherhood. Featuring yet another all-timer performance from Andrea Riseborough, Here Before was easily the most surprising film I saw during this year’s SXSW.
Read on to see what I thought of this trio of films out of this year’s SXSW, and be sure to keep an eye out for more on these projects in the near future as well.
Here Before: With her feature film debut, Irish writer/director Stacey Gregg makes quite a statement with Here Before, a psychological thriller that also happens to be a thoughtful cinematic meditation on grief and motherhood. Featuring yet another all-timer performance from Andrea Riseborough, Here Before was easily the most surprising film I saw during this year’s SXSW.
- 3/30/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Last week, Irish filmmaker Stacey Gregg celebrated the world premiere of Here Before, her psychological thriller, at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Starring Andrea Riseborough, Niamh Dornan, Jonjo O’Neill, Eileen O’Higgins, and Lewis McAskie, the film follows a mother named Laura (Riseborough), who becomes increasingly convinced that the little girl (Dornan) who moves in next door is the reincarnation of her own daughter who died years prior, which puts a great deal of strain on both families. But Laura’s obsession grows deeper the more time she spends with the girl, and from there, horrifying truths are revealed that forever change the dynamics of both families caught in the middle of her grief and unwavering maternal instincts.
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Gregg about Here Before, and during the interview, she discussed her unusual approach to grief in this story, the surprise she felt when Riseborough agreed to do the project,...
Daily Dead recently had the opportunity to speak with Gregg about Here Before, and during the interview, she discussed her unusual approach to grief in this story, the surprise she felt when Riseborough agreed to do the project,...
- 3/23/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
By the time Stacey Gregg’s cofounding gaslighting thriller “Here Before” zips its way into an overstuffed final act, audiences will likely have spent some time wondering how this could have been better. Perhaps a perspective shift, or if Gregg’s script started a year earlier or a month later. Instead, we’re left to engage with what is on the screen: a great Andrea Riseborough performance (as if she knows how to turn in anything less) and an undercooked story that often pursues the least interesting possibilities.
Set in an anonymous Northern Ireland suburb, “Here Before” Laura (Riseborough) and her family endured a terrible tragedy many years before, but they’re not really thinking about their lost daughter Josie when a new clan moves in next door, complete with the precocious Megan (Niamh Dornan). Megan is cute and sweet, and she gravitates straight toward Laura, much to the chagrin...
Set in an anonymous Northern Ireland suburb, “Here Before” Laura (Riseborough) and her family endured a terrible tragedy many years before, but they’re not really thinking about their lost daughter Josie when a new clan moves in next door, complete with the precocious Megan (Niamh Dornan). Megan is cute and sweet, and she gravitates straight toward Laura, much to the chagrin...
- 3/17/2021
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
It’s easy — and understandable — for a movie about parents coping with the death of a child to slide into a glum depressive haze. Yet one granddaddy of the genre is neither glum nor depressing; it turns parental despair into something spine-tingling. “Don’t Look Now,” Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 classic of fractured anxiety, may or may not be a ghost story, but it’s most assuredly haunted. And you could say the same thing about “Here Before,” in which Andrea Riseborough plays Laura, a distraught mother in a small town in Northern Ireland who begins to suspect that her dead daughter has been reincarnated. Has Josie, who was killed in a car accident several years before (her father was at the wheel), reappeared as the new girl next door? Or is Laura making connections that aren’t there as a way to ease the impossibility of her burden?
The writer-director, Stacey Gregg,...
The writer-director, Stacey Gregg,...
- 3/17/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
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