Cinematography:
Aaron McLiskyComposer:
Cornel WilczekCast:
Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Miranda Otto, Otis Dhanji, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, Jodie Dry, Cass CumerfordVOD (4)
Plots(1)
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world, forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living. Talk to Me is the debut feature film from brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. (Umbrella Entertainment)
(more)Videos (4)
Reviews (10)
Talk to the hand, or combine an idiotic viral TikTok challenge, a metaphor for drugs, a drama about mourning and a horror movie about possession and you have the genre flick of year, in which cleverly malicious directing, excellent actors and a heavy atmosphere in which the world of phantoms that may or may not mean well by people increasingly crosses over into reality. A more than respectable successor to films such as Get Out and It Follows. I’m trembling!
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Based on their internet videos, one might get the impression that the brothers Danny and Michael Philippou are just a couple of louts riding the wave of post-Jackass dumbfuckery and YouTuber bullshit. Their feature-length debut is thus all the more surprising, as it is a very intense genre flick with precision craftsmanship, as well as an absorbingly sensitive work that is able to thought-provokingly address a full range of the young generation’s frustration and general depressing issues without in any way coming across as being too clever for its own good or in-your-face. Talk to Me radiates fierce energy, formalistic boisterousness and devastating horror intensity that brings to mind the first Evil Dead, though Sam Raimi put his supreme talent to use solely in the interest of genre entertainment with very little reach beyond the confines of the screen. By comparison, the Philippou brothers expressively thematise motifs such as the depressing tension that comes with the pressure to fit into the group and the endless provocations and ever-present danger of making a fool of oneself under the watchful eye of social media. The backbone of the brilliantly constructed narrative consists in the coming to terms with the loss of a loved one and the associated risk of falling into the abyss of depression and blaming oneself. The film manages to present this subject with sobering empathy and a powerfully intense sense of dread.
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A hand extended from the beyond is unlikely to be helpful, or rather, "this spirit is a cunt." Grief that hurts so much and affects judgment to the point of consuming a person. The mobile phone camera acts as an emotional barrier to the events it captures. Recreational drug use that can, with a snap of the fingers, escalate quickly. The twins who revere Friedkin’s The Exorcist focus more on characters and appropriate realism rather than on blatantly shocking scenes, and when shocks do occur, they use practical effects. If predicting the plot’s further development is difficult, and it’s not entirely foolish, we can speak of rare originality in this genre.
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A great ghost-horror movie in a new interpretation, with the fine idea of connecting with the “other side” and realistic teenage characters whose relationship drama is equally as strong and important as the mystery dimension. Unfamiliar faces, an increasingly gloomy mood and a bad-ass conclusion to the story. An Australian debut feature with the qualitative parameters of producer Jason Blum’s best pieces.
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You wouldn't think that in the ghost subgenre you could come up with something original. A really interesting, original premise, physically uncomfortable in places, an intense flick without cheap clichés and stale scares (there are a few and they're good). And with likeable new faces, all of them acting great. To make this as a rookie debut, well, hats off to them.
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