Talk To Me, an Australian, A24-produced supernatural horror film, premiered in October 2022 at the Adelaide Film Festival. When it was released theatrically in July 2023, it has taken movie theaters by storm.
The film follows a group of teenagers who form an obsession with an embalmed hand which allows the group to converse with spirits using an eerie ritual.Brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, who initially gained fame from their conjoined YouTube channel ‘Rackaracka’ where they posted funny short videos, directed this film.
Throughout the film, the brothers express the teens’ experience with the embalmed hand in a psychedelic fashion as users become to be seen by the spirits, and later possessed by the souls of the dead. The movie also largely incorporates a theme of grief as Mia, the protagonist, played by Sophie Wilde, struggles to cope with the death of her mother. The access to the spiritual underworld causes Mia to face her inability to let her mother go, despite the negative effects of using the magical hand.
The acting in Talk To Me was commendable. Performances, especially from younger actors like Joe Bird and Wilde, are not only impressive but illuminate youthful teenage experiences that viewers can relate to. . The plot is a bit scattered, with a very cloudy origin story of the spiritual hand and a similar backstory for almost all of the characters. This coupled with the inconsistent pacing of the movie can make the ability of getting into the story and characters a bit difficult. The film does have a climax, however the events that follow have equal scare and shock factors, contributing to the unusual tempo.
While this may not have been our favorite horror movie, or let alone film, its shock value in various scenes had us both actively turning away from the screen. For those who are fans of a fun, supernatural, sort of dumb horror movies, this is worth watching–especially with friends. For true horror enthusiasts looking for a deep plot and well drawn out characters, this may not be the movie for you.
