Talk to Me
Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Writer: Bill Hinzman, Daley Pearson, Danny Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Joe Bird, Alexandra Jensen, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Ari McCarthy
Part of: SLASH 1/2 Filmfestival
Seen on: 5.5.2023

Plot:
There is a new trend among teens: they go ahold of an artifact, a ceramic hand said to contained an embalmed on, that actually seems to allow them to contact the dead. This has become the new favorite party game, and Mia (Sophie Wilde) is itching to try it herself, secretly hoping that she might contact her mother who recently passed away. She convinces her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) to go to a party and try. But things soon spiral out of control.

Talk to Me was definitely a highlight for me a the SLASH 1/2 Filmfestival this year. It is an excellent scary film wrapped around a touching emotional core – a really fantastic combination.

The first thing that struck me is how Talk to Me gets teenagers right. That they turn this supernatural thing into a party game to have fun with, not considering any consequences beyond “what if we get caught” quintessentially captures teenage thought processes for me. At the same time, the film takes a lot of care with its characters and shows how they are also growing to be more adult and responsible, though that is easier said and done.

The biggest attention is paid to Mia, and here again, the film shows how well it knows its characters and how much emotion fits into a character. Mia is funny and vibrant, but she is also fundamentally broken, grieving and alone. She tries so hard to find her footing again, but she is utterly lost – and because she is so vibrant, the people around her who should/could be helping don’t really notice her desperation. Wilde gives us a wonderfully complex performance to capture all these nuances.

Plus, the film manages to be very creepy – and I don’t really get scared easily. It is atmospheric and has some really strong scary sequences. At times, it is a bit unclear. Not just in the sense that it allows multiple interpretations of the events, but that I actually wasn’t always sure what just happened. But it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the film in the slightest – it was way too good to be hampered by that.

Summarizing: recommended.