Directed By Danny and Michael Philippou

Starring – Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen

The Plot – 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 (Wilde) goes too far and opens the door to the spirit world forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living.

Rated R for strong/bloody violent content, some sexual material and adult language throughout

(12) Talk To Me | Official Trailer 2 HD | A24 – YouTube

POSITIVES

In terms of possession films, especially during contemporary times, the Philippou brothers have done something truly special here, combining originality in concept with depth in execution, towards manifesting one of the most honest and gut-wrenching allegories for paralyzing grief, that once more proves the most terrifying subjects pertain to universal conflicts. This obviously cements scares by the dozens, in everything from the squeamishly gruesome imagery, with top tier make-up and prosthetics designs, to the unnerving direction that continuously gets under your skin with its rich combination of sharp sound deposits and cerebral camera movements, but for me it’s what the psychologically stinging script says about the most vulnerable time in our lives that echoed the loudest, especially as someone who has felt that helpless state that losing someone commands over our daily routines and focus. Because the hand itself is used as a means of escapism and power for our protagonist to evade the monumental haunting that still holds her captive, two years later, it not only gives her an inspirational impact that immediately hooks her to the hand, in the same way drugs or alcoholism would, but it also establishes a very realistically believable alibi for why she would continuously choose to explore it, even with the stiff consequences that come as a result of her and her friends’ naivety towards their irresponsible actions. For first time directors once more, a praise we seem to be hearing a lot anymore, the Philippou’s invoke a thick cloud of atmospheric dread that continuously hangs over the proceedings, and with the magnetism of how they know the perfect proximity to place the camera at all times, elicits an unshakeable connection to the audience that keeps us gripped throughout the 90 minute run time that rapidly keeps progressing forward, without ever a dependency on cheap jump scares or artificiality in essence that can weigh heavily towards a film’s prominence. On top of this, the cast and their respective characters charmed the pants off of me, to the point that I didn’t want the movie to leave any of them by the wayside of the storytelling, and for the most part it doesn’t, instead combining their efforts towards attaining a decorated ensemble piece, with simplistically natural dialogue and three-dimensional dynamics within their inner circle that leads to some enhanced dramatic tension to compliment the paranormal quite especially. For performances, Sophie Wilde as Mia is an F5 tornado that levels everyone and everything in her path of emotional and physical devastation, with limitless transparancy and tenderness that coherently illustrates the internal struggle from within that often feels like a thousand needles hitting at once. That changes, however, when conveying a possessed cavity, with Sophie articulating a methodical gaze and unsettling vocal deviation that is nothing short of transformative. Like her brotherly duo of directors, this is also Wilde’s debut on the big screen, and considering most of the story centers around her character’s emotional trauma, she feels primed for future dramatic efforts that can afford her more of the same psychological heavy lifting.

NEGATIVES

Though nothing terribly compromising to the integrity of the finished product, the script, with all of its virtue and honesty about the deconstructive state of grief, occasionally errors on the side of inconsistency, both in the logic of the rules established for the plot device, but also the lack of exploration paid to such. On the latter, there is a brief backstory on how one of the kids came across the embalmed hand, but nothing that could’ve further fleshed out the concepts for the who, why and how this whole thing is even remotely possible. Because of such, it’s just one of those films that unfortunately doesn’t waste time on the benefits of a backstory, and while an exposition dump would’ve went against my rules of avoiding cliches in horror films, I feel that it would’ve been appropriate here to learn more about its inception, as a means of corresponding subplots. As for the logical hiccups that occasionally broke my concentration, it’s clear that another draft outlining the set-ups could’ve smoothed out its inconsistencies, especially once Mia goes under during the film’s second half to save a friend who is close to her heart. Some things just downright don’t make sense, like Mia’s capabilities during this time, while others are merely approached at surface level, with the kind of execution that could’ve brought forth the concrete creativity of the concept, but instead feel constricted with the aforementioned 90 minute run time that frequently forces altering to the unraveling of the narrative.

OVERALL
“Talk to Me” might just very well be the greatest Australian horror film that I’ve ever seen. With effectively creepy material, a tenderly insightful dissection of emotional grief, and a hypnotically mesmerizing performance from Wilde, the brothers Philippou arrive to the party with a truly visceral debut that proves they were hands on in nearly every avenue of the executing production.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+