Talk to Me Movie Review: A Visceral Horror That Will Amaze You Most Successful Horror Films Of Recent Years
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Joe Bird, Zoe Terakes, Miranda Otto
Director: Danny and Michael Philippou
Where We Watched: In Theaters
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Talk to Me is one of those films that managed to attract the attention of horror fans even before its Italian release on 28 September 2023. In proceeding with this review, it is interesting to ask ourselves what the real potential of a project is of the genre and all the possibilities that the first chapter could, or could not, open up towards a future that we are already talking about. Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou have constructed a film with fairly clear ideas, characterized by a love for the genre evident in many quotes and a handful of ideas that try to distinguish their material from that of others. It’s right in this one “originality not originality” which develops a journey into the meanders of human pain, of suffering which can easily become addiction, mental subjugation, submission, and reflection on us and on everything we would like to believe in completely. Upon its release several months ago in the United States and many other countries around the world, the new A24 horror Talk to Me was greeted with critical and public acclaim and defined as one of the best products of the genre in recent years. Now that it has arrived here, and that we have finally seen it, can we confirm all the positive reviews received?
Absolutely yes! The film by brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, making their feature film directorial debut, is undoubtedly one of the best horror genre titles seen on the big (and small) screen in a long time: it is an “elevated horror” in the best sense of the term, based on a truly original and interesting idea; a film shot with a small budget but with such mastery (which is even more incredible, since it is a first work) that it can rival titles with infinitely larger budgets. As we will see in this review of Talk to Me, there are many surprising elements in Philippou’s feature film, from the spot-on cast choices to the surprising narrative development, which led to a truly immersive and exciting theater viewing experience. What is most striking is how, despite moving in the broad path traced by many other works of the genre and combining the most common topoi of ghost and possession stories, Talk to Me manages to find its path, absolutely unique and original.
Talk to Me Movie Review: The Story Plot
Mia (Sophie Wilde) is a teenager who is going through a very difficult period she has not overcome the death of her mother which occurred – perhaps by suicide, perhaps by an accident – only a year earlier. After the tragedy, she distanced herself from her father, who like her was close in mourning. To try to overcome her grief, Mia spends a lot of time at the house of her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), with her younger brother Riley (Joe Bird) and her mother (Miranda Otto), whom she considers a second family. Together with Riley, Jade, and her boyfriend Daniel (Otis Dhanji) one evening Mia goes to a party at the house of one of their school friends, Haley (Zoe Terakes): her parties are famous among all their peers for a very particular, a sort of séance that puts them in communication with the afterlife. Haley and their friend Joss (Chris Alosio) have come into possession of an embalmed hand – perhaps a medium? of a Satanist? – with which they carry out a frightening ritual: squeezing her and pronouncing the words Talk to Me you get in touch with a spirit from the afterlife, who will possess the unfortunate person in question for a maximum of ninety seconds. Why ninety seconds? Because more than that would make him want to stay.
Mia immediately decides to try, and, amidst the general enthusiasm, she becomes possessed by a spirit. The feeling of her is beautiful, but the entity that governs her body seems driven by evil intentions and is targeting Riley. The confusion of the moment is such that Mia shakes hands for more than the expected ninety seconds, and her friends manage to close the ritual only after some time. What will the consequences be for Mia? The young girl begins to be haunted by terrifying visions, in particular, she is convinced she is seeing the spirit of her missing mother. At another party, this time at Jade’s house, things got even worse. Among those who decide to face the ritual there is, with Mia’s permission, Riley himself; however, the entity that enters his body does something terrifying: he tries to kill him.
Talk to Me Movie Review and Analysis
Talk to Me, in its frightening pace, continues to hammer incessantly on the affliction that the main protagonist continues to feel, transforming the occult context that surrounds her into a sort of path in which pain becomes an illusion and dependence on something indefinite. The premature death of her mother, not surprisingly, will push Mia to use her embalmed hand to find at all costs, contact with her, exposing all her imperfections and problems. The girl thus becomes a means and a metaphor for the same emotional restlessness and the problematic desire to find the actual reasons, without however addressing everything in an adult way. Mourning is therefore a central element in Talk to Me, the only real fuse to trigger all the terrible events that we will directly witness, and in this, the film tries to find its path. His narrative proposal exploits many elements also present in other films of the same genre but initiates a series of reflections that easily overcome the limits of the screen, touching very delicate chords.
Insecurity, loneliness, the darkest denial, subcutaneous anger, insurmountable nostalgia, and suffocating and indecipherable depression, are just some of the central dynamics in the construction of the plot which, with all its imperfections, takes great pains to characterize more the specific human that everything else, setting it on fire with you find horror stories with strong and disturbing features. Going beyond its messages, direct and indirect, Talk to Me also works from a technical point of view, basing much of its potential on the specific interpretations of the actors involved. The general credibility of the cast, also composed of Miranda Otto, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, and Chris Alosio, makes the material at the root of the story even more juicy, directly impacting the spectator’s thanks also to a direction that has no scruples in getting very close to the horror taking place on the screen, pressing the accelerator when necessary, and then stabilizing in the quieter moments.
The film gets off to a flying start with a gruesome and splattering opening scene, which is a punch in the viewer’s stomach. After this, he takes his time telling us about the protagonists and their backgrounds. The story is perfectly placed in the reality of an adolescent context not told for once in a stereotyped way. The typical dynamics that arise in a group of kids are told without rhetorical devices or exaggerations. Everything, except the supernatural part, is credible. To the point that two types of horror could be identified: the otherworldly and the human. The film does not shy away from ruthless social criticism. How many times have you found yourself at a party and in the name of joking and having fun at any cost, have you ended up going overboard?
How many cases in the news have seen teenage groups commit unspeakable mistakes fraught with disastrous consequences, due to ephemeral momentary notoriety? How many innocent prank challenges ended up in tragedy? But above all, how many videos of such episodes have ended up online, ruining the lives of many people? Too many. There are many cases worth mentioning. Here the film, beyond the more merely supernatural element, also causes horror in this way. Talk to Me exposes our meanest behaviors, our most abject, sadistic nature which makes us careless about the pain we inflict on others. It should be obvious, but today there aren’t many horror films capable of being truly scary the market is flooded with mediocre films. Talk to Me, on the other hand, can build an atmosphere of real tension and terror, making only marginal use of jump scares. While watching, identifying ourselves with the protagonist Mia, we will have the opportunity to experience a real feeling of discomfort.
Her slow sinking into her madness, which will lead her to see the dead far beyond the séance, will fuel in us spectators a suffocating feeling of unease, a lump in our throat that tightens minute after minute. In the splatter scenes, there is no shortage, but they are not predominant. The thing that puts the most tension is the idea behind the film. A fun game, a séance that was only meant to be fun, ended in tragedy. A child is almost dead and all fingers are pointing at our protagonist. More and more alone, discredited, tormented, and persecuted by the souls of limbo, Mia will end up destroying herself and destroying her surroundings. The border between dream and reality, between truth and lies, between the living and the dead has never been so blurred. First of all, the film relies on excellent acting performances from a truly centered cast. We would like to particularly mention Miranda Otto as the mother of Sue, Sophie Wilde as Mia, and Alexandra Jensen as Jade. A very young, but truly talented cast.
As regards the technical sector, I feel like starting from the excellent make-up, capable of disfiguring some of the protagonists in a way that is as credible as it is macabre. Some scenes, such as those that see Riley hospitalized, are so well done that they seem to be taken from life. The direction is excellent, capable of constructing sequences that alter narrow and wide fields in a truly fluid manner. Among the most interesting intuitions is that of the double shot, i.e. the camera looking at the scene through the camera of one of the boys. The music is excellent, never pompous or preponderant, but truly powerful. CGI is reduced to a minimum and when it is used it never appears artificial, to the point that the supernatural and real elements mix perfectly, also thanks to the excellent photography.
A convincing, disturbing, dark, and in many ways current horror in the themes covered. A film that we would heartily recommend to you and that will convince all lovers of true horror. This is because Talk to Me manages to act as a bridge between the old horror cinema of the 70s/80s and the more modern and underground one of today. Although it does not propose a theme like that of the séance, which is a classic of the horror genre, it manages to interpret it in a captivating way. Fully promoted, therefore. The heartfelt invitation is to go to the theater to have a cinematographic experience, which is unlikely to disappoint you.
Talk to Me Review: The Last Words
Talk to Me is a film to keep an eye on. The potential for a long-term project is there, as are the possibilities for artistic growth for its directors. We are talking about a film that uses its characters and the horror context to tell a deeply human story that is closed on a purely emotional level, to all those who go to see it at the cinema. Some flaws slow down the excitement towards it but… the general commitment to the means available has certainly rewarded a project with a perhaps interesting future. Talk to Me is one of the most successful horror films of recent years: the Philippou brothers have created an extremely convincing, frightening story full of interesting food for thought. The young cast is also perfect.
Talk to Me Movie Review: A Visceral Horror That Will Amaze You Most Successful Horror Films Of Recent Years - Filmyhype
Director: Danny and Michael Philippou
Date Created: 2023-09-28 17:02
4
Pros
- The premise is unique and interesting.
- The film is well-paced and suspenseful.
- The acting is excellent, especially from the young cast.
- The film explores some interesting themes.
- The special effects are well-done.
Cons
- The ending is a bit predictable.
- Some of the scares are a bit too over-the-top.
- The film could have explored its themes in more depth.
