Talk to Me: Don't walk out

Talk to Me - Danny and Michael Philippou - 2023

★★★-Talk to Me. An Australian supernatural horror film directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, marking their first feature film. Seems like this is more or less universally loved. However, I wasn't so high on this, though I do respect it and still think it was pretty good. The Philippous started out as YouTubers and segued to short films and then made this.

Gist revolves around a close-knit group of friends who stumble upon the arcane knowledge of summoning spirits by holding onto an embalmed hand set in a ceramic casting. As long as they don't go over 90-seconds, everything is fine. Any more than that, and the spirit wants to stay. I will say that the fact that this thing exists after all the shit its caused is somewhat incredible. You'd think someone would smash and burn it at some point. Personally, I wouldn't touch it. 

Anyway, intrigued by the dark power they wield, they succumb to the lure of this newfound thrill, giving them a rush that isn't unlike a drug. However, their experimentation takes a dreadful turn when one of them delves too deep into the supernatural realm, unwittingly releasing terrifying forces beyond their control. Eventually, they find themselves in a battle for survival against the unleashed horrors.

Cast is made up of mostly newcomers in Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen who plays best friend Jade, Joe Bird (the best friend's little brother, Riley), Otis Dhanji (everyone's love interest), Chris Alosio, Zoe Terakes, and Miranda Otto who plays Jade and Riley's mom. Wilde, who plays the lead, Mia, is great. Might end up a star. She carries the film, but everyone is solid. Otto is the only person I recognized. She was Eowyn in The Lord of the Rings movies. Also in The Thin Red Line and War of the Worlds. 

Love a high school hangout movie. That's when the movie is its best. I really liked the duo of Alosio and Terakes, who are sort of in charge of the hand, play the characters Joss and Hayley respectively. Every high school has kids like this. Real presence. You sort of hate them, but want to hang out with them and frequently warm up to them before once again falling out. 

Had a couple triggers for me. Animal suffering and the self-harm of a child. I can deal with a lot, but when those things popup on screen, I have to close my eyes and cover my ears. This was especially bad. Pretty much everything that happens to this kid is incredibly awful. The dog is fine, though. 

Few confusing things, too, like when these ghosts are torturing the kid and the brother of the previous owner, who was stabbed in the opening scene by said brother, is like, “meh, just wait it out, he'll be fine.” 

Spoiler here. They make a big deal about the consequences of holding on past 90 seconds. The spirits will want to stay, which is what causes things to go bad. 

Sticks the final landing, though, which is all I'll say about any of that. Not often that a horror movie makes you feel something, but it's becoming more common with “elevated horror.” Keep thinking about Mia's poor dad. He's been through a lot, and you barely know anything about him. 

Does have extended universe potential, which is fun. I definitely see a prequel of where the hand came from in the future. 

Not super scary, though it is unsettling. Camera work is great and super interesting, but it felt like pretty much every other A24 horror film. Had similar beats to Hereditary.

Watched this at 5:00pm the Friday of its opening weekend here in Bloomington, Indiana. I was one of two people in the theater. The other guy grumbled a few times and left at the start of the third act. So I can honestly say half of the audience walked out. The crazy part, though, is that two elderly women, one with a walker, came in a few minutes later to catch the end. It was like some weird math problem. “What is the percentage of people who watched the movie,” so forth. I talked to them after, they were early to their showing of Mission: Impossible and figured they'd see what this was about. Different breed of movie watcher than I. Might have been a better experience with a larger crowd that was feeling it.