Talk to Me
Talk to Me
Starring Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji
Directed by Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou
It's been two years since Mia's (Sophie Wilde) mother accidentally died, and she hasn't been the same. Her relationship with her father is so strained she pretty much lives with her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen), her younger brother Riley (Joe Bird), and their mother Sue (Miranda Otto). Their friendship is so close that even the fact that Jade is dating Daniel (Otis Dhanji), Mia's ex, has no effect on their friendship - in fact, the three are inseparable. One night at a party the hosts reveal a severed hand encased in ceramic, claiming it belonged to a powerful medium and by using it they can talk to the dead. It's become an Internet craze, and Mia takes first turn. To summon the dead you must say "talk to me" and then "I invite you in" for it to inhabit you, but for only ninety seconds: afterward the spirit might not want to leave.
Mia summons a spirit that makes her the new sensation, giving her popularity with the other kids after they saw her as an outcast for always being sad about her mother's death. Soon the group of friends participate more in the game - until Riley takes hold of the hand and seemingly communicates with Mia's dead mother. Mia keeps Riley under longer than ninety seconds, landing the boy in the hospital after a vicious attack. Now consumed with talking to her mother, Mia takes the hand and isolates herself - but is it really her mother she's talking to, or a demon pretending to be her in order to take over Mia's body and soul?
The Good:
While the concept has been done before, "Talk to Me" takes a more personal route with the spirit of Mia's mother playing into the mix, and the mystery as to whether or not it's actually her. Not only does the film focus on communicating with the dead, but also deals with the very real issue of grief and how it could lead you to do selfish things in order to heal. Mia is a fractured girl since her mother died, and she'll do anything for a chance to talk to her again and find out what happened in her final moments. This leads her down a dark path throughout the story that eventually culminates in life-or-death decisions not just for her, but for her friends and family around her. It's an intense emotional roller coaster ride told brilliantly through screenwriters Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman.
Sophie Wilde is a newcomer to the big screen, and in her first leading role she tackles the character of Mia with complete abandon. She fully immerses herself in the role and becomes the character so thoroughly that you feel a deep sense of connection with her character, and feel her grief as she does. It's a great transformation and shows the world her unique talent that'll only rise after this performance.
"Talk to Me" introduces the social media aspect with connection with the dead, something that usually happens in dark rooms with only a few people. Now it's a web sensation, with rooms full of teens with their phones recording as one person touches the cursed hand. Much like "It Follows," this movie focuses on the teens with very little adult interaction apart from the always amazing Miranda Otto as Jade's no-nonsense mother. You get a deep emotional connection with all the characters as their lives are turned upside down, and all too late you find yourself careening down the roller coaster ride with your seatbelt unfastened.
The VFX and effects in the film are top notch, especially coming from a smaller budget, not to mention it being the first feature film directed by Australian YouTube brother sensations Michael and Danny Pilippou (known as RackaRacka). It seems like a movie that's destined to become a cult classic much like another first-time director using his own form of practical VFX effects and offbeat story - that of Sam Raimi, who's "Evil Dead" has endured for over forty years and is hailed as a horror masterpiece to this day. There's something to be said about the inventiveness of first-time directors, as they're usually not so jaded in the Hollywood world that they just create films to make money. You sense their heart, their passion, and their dedication in every frame, which only allows you to become even more involved in the lives of the protagonists.
The Bad:
With the film being made in Australia by Australian actors, their accent sometimes becomes overwhelming where I didn't understand what they were saying at times, but that's a small issue that's easily resolved watching it at home with subtitles.
The ending of the film (as intense, fascinating, and immersive as it is) was also rushed, feeling like the roller coaster ride just stopped immediately and threw you into the air with no parachute. While it worked in the shock value, it didn't deliver in the "why" of it all. There was a lot of questions after the movie ended, and while I usually like that type of thing, it seemed like the screenwriters abandoned the story in favor of a gut-punch surprise ending that'll leave your jaw on the floor. Mission accomplished there, but I wish it wasn't to the detriment of the overall story.
The Verdict:
Sure to become a cult classic in the decades to come, "Talk to Me" combines the classic desire to speak to the dead with the updated modern social media world that's completely grounded in a powerful first-time performance by Sophie Wilde.
The Score: A
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