In my SXSW review of Stacey Gregg’s directorial debut Here Before, I made an admittedly easy reference to WandaVision when describing the maternal pain expressed in star Andrea Riseborough’s performance. The film, which features Riseborough at her absolute best once again, is finally being released next month and you should have it on your radar.
Riseborough stars as a mother who comes to believe her neighbor’s daughter is actually the reincarnation of her dead child. It sounds a little bit crazy but there’s nothing supernatural about this; it’s a hard-hitting drama about a woman unable to cope with the kind of pain that no parent should ever have to experience.
Also in the cast are Niamh Dornan, Eileen O’Higgins, Martin McCann, and Jonjo O’Neill. Gregg not only directs but wrote the screenplay.
Here Before opens in theaters on February 11th and VOD on February 15th.
“When new neighbors move in, Laura is awakened from her mundane daily routine of errands and exercise. She becomes transfixed by their young daughter, Megan. 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 many specific details of their family life and displays similar mannerisms of their dead daughter. Is the trauma of losing her child causing Laura to lose grip on reality, or is Megan truly the reincarnation of her daughter?”
