Here Before
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStacey Gregg
Written byStacey Gregg
Produced by
  • Julia Godzinskaya
  • Sophie Vickers
StarringAndrea Riseborough
CinematographyChloë Thomson
Edited by
  • Brian Philip Davis
  • Nick Emerson
Music byAdam Janota Bzowski
Production
companies
Distributed byWildcard Distribution
Release dates
  • 17 March 2021 (2021-03-17) (SXSW)
  • 18 February 2022 (2022-02-18) (United Kingdom)
Running time
83 minutes[1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Here Before is a 2021 British psychological thriller film written and directed by Stacey Gregg in her feature directorial debut. It stars Andrea Riseborough, Jonjo O'Neill, Martin McCann, and Eileen O'Higgins.[2][3][4]

The film was nominated to compete in the Narrative Feature Category at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival.[5]

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 17 March 2021, and was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 18 February 2022 by Wildcard Distribution. It received positive reviews from critics, with Riseborough's performance being singled out for praise.

Plot

Laura lives in Northern Ireland with her husband Brendan and her son Tadhg. Her daughter Josie was killed in a car accident several years prior to the events of the film, with Brendan driving.

A girl named Megan moves next door to Laura with her parents, Marie and Chris. Megan and Laura soon strike up a friendship. Laura becomes intrigued when Megan says that she has studied at the local school before and visited the local graveyard, and requests that Laura make a smiley face with ketchup when she invites Megan for dinner. Marie says that Megan has never studied at the school before or seen the graveyard.

One day, Laura takes Megan to the nearby playground at her request. Megan says that she visited the park before; Laura angrily takes her home. Marie asks Laura to stay away from Megan. Brendan decides that the family should leave town for a few days to give Laura a chance to relax. While looking through Brendan's phone, Laura finds several photos of Megan on it.

After they return home, Laura takes Megan on a drive along Ballyfield Road, the road Brendan was driving on when the accident occurred. Megan says that Brendan was singing while driving along the road, which convinces Laura that Josie was reincarnated as Megan. Tadhg attacks Megan that night, which results in the police being called in. Laura asks Brendan to stay at another place for a few days to give her some space.

Laura finds a photo of Brendan with Marie at a party, contradicting his previous claim that he did not know her. Brendan meets with Megan, who has realised that Brendan is her actual father. Laura breaks into Megan's house and finds several photos of Josie and a CD containing a 2007 recording of Josie and Tadhg. She confronts Marie, accusing her of using Megan to take revenge on Brendan. The confrontation turns violent after Laura threatens to have Megan taken away from Marie, ending with Marie stabbing Laura with a shard of glass. Megan arrives in time to apologise to Laura; in a hallucination, Laura briefly sees her as Josie and tells her that she loves her.

The film ends with a fully-recovered Laura placing flowers at Josie's grave.

Cast

Production

Here Before is produced by Rooks Nest Entertainment and financed by BBC Films, Pia Pressure and Northern Ireland Screen.[2][3][4] Filming took place in and around Belfast, Northern Ireland.[2][3]

Release

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on 17 March 2021.[6] It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 18 February 2022 by Wildcard Distribution.[7][8]

Reception

Here Before received positive reviews from critics, with Andrea Riseborough's performance being singled out for praise. The movie has a 82% approval rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Resting its slowly twisting tale on a magnetic Andrea Riseborough performance, Here Before is a solidly unsettling effort from debuting writer-director Stacey Gregg."[9]

Owen Gleiberman of Variety praised Gregg for "a hugely accessible and transportable technique."[10] Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "The question of whether this is a ghost story or if Laura is experiencing a kind of psychological breakdown twists and turns in ways that lost me by the end. Still, it is a very accomplished debut from Gregg, and acted with subtlety and sensitivity by Riseborough."[11] Kevin Maher of The Times also gave the film 3/5 stars, calling it "[an] inventive chiller from debut director Stacey Gregg."[12] Simran Hans of The Observer also gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "Gregg crafts a spooky atmosphere charged with the supernatural. Riseborough's intensity helps sell the idea of a possible otherworldly presence, but the script is less committed, faltering with a lacklustre ending."[13]

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a grade of C+. She praised Riseborough's performance, but described the story as "an undercooked story that often pursues the least interesting possibilities."[14] Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com gave the film 2.5/4 stars, writing: "There's certainly enough craft, soul, and intelligence on display to make Gregg's movie worth a look", but added: "There's also a few too many scenes that only succeed at repeating its evident fascination with grief as a personal and therefore only partly communicable experience."[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Here Before". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Wiseman, Andreas (26 November 2019). "Andrea Riseborough Leads Cast In Movie Thriller 'Here Before' For Rooks Nest, BBC Films, Pia Pressure & Northern Ireland Screen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 23 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Clarke, Stewart (26 November 2019). "Andrea Riseborough to Star in Psychological Thriller 'Here Before'". Variety. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 Miska, Brad (19 June 2020). "First Look at 'Mandy' Star Andrea Riseborough in 'Here Before' [Cannes]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  5. ↑ "2021 SXSW Film Festival Lineup". South by Southwest. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Day-Ramos, Dino (10 February 2021). "SXSW Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup; Charli XCX Quarantine Feature To Close Fest; Tom Petty Docu Set As Centerpiece". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  7. ↑ Dunne, Luke (17 January 2022). "Andrea Riseborough thriller Here Before coming to Irish cinemas this February". Film in Dublin. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Dalton, Ben (30 December 2022). "UK-Ireland cinema release calendar: latest updates for 2022". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Here Before". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  10. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (17 March 2021). "'Here Before' Review: Andrea Riseborough Stars in a Lost-Child Ghost Story (Or Is It?) Infused With the Spirit of Nicolas Roeg". Variety. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Clarke, Cath (15 February 2022). "Here Before review – Andrea Riseborough compelling as grieving mother". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  12. ↑ Maher, Kevin (18 February 2022). "Here Before review — a refreshing twist from an inventive chiller". The Times. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Here Before review – promising Irish almost-horror with Andrea Riseborough". The Observer. 20 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Erbland, Kate (17 March 2021). "Andrea Riseborough Makes Chilling Movies Better, but 'Here Before' Shows Even She Has Limits". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Abrams, Simon (11 February 2022). "Here Before movie review & film summary (2022)". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
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