Talk to Me (Mini-Review)

Talk to Me is a horror movie. Mia is still reeling from her mother's suicide two years after the devastating tragedy. She convinces her friend Jade to go to a party where supposedly there's a hand that will let them see the dead. Riley, Jade's younger brother, convinces the pair to let him join them. Mia quickly grows addicted to using the hand and soon her life starts to spiral. She begins seeing the dead even when not using the hand. Talk to Me was released in 2023. It was directed by Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou. It stars Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, and Otis Dhanji.

There is no post or mid credits scenes. I would recommend you stay for the credits, though, as this movie takes a lot out of a person.

Possession is a metaphor for drug addiction in this movie. Mia is grieving and just wants to feel good again. So when something, no matter how dangerous, makes her feel high she is hooked. She then ruins her friendships just to feel a rush. Just to feel good. Then she convinces herself that she is only trying to do good while planning to murder at least one person.

Nothing good ever happens when you mess with powers you don't understand. Especially when you don't realize how dangerous what you're doing is. Hayley and Joss, the first people we see owning the hand, don't know the real history about it. They don't know who created it or what its initial purpose was. They just took something and found it fun. That's the kind of attitude that could get you killed or worse when dealing with spirits.

Since the movie takes place in Australia, the dying deer in the road scene was tweaked. Mia and Riley come across a dying kangaroo while she drives him home. It is an extremely hard scene to watch as the animal is in so much pain. Riley knows that if it's dying, the best thing to do is kill it. Mia, on the other hand, can't deal with the pain of killing a creature. No matter if it's the right thing to do or not. So she leaves it to die a slow and agonizing death. Of course this mindset is tested as the movie comes to its close.

Sue, mother of Jade and Riley, is one of the best characters ever. She is extremely aware of what most people are doing and can see through lies. When Jade tries to sneak out, Sue points out that she always acts a certain way before sneaking out. Later, when Jade has planned a party at her house, Sue never wavers in her certainty of knowing there is going to be a party. Yet she allows her kids to just be kids and do foolish things.

When things start to go horribly wrong and Mia starts to see spirits without the help of the hand, no one tries to help her. No one is understanding enough to either watch her or help her through the pain. Max, whose faith would make him know the dangers of possession, doesn't attempt to find someone who would know about such things. Jade believes a phone call from Mia even after knowing her grasp on reality is growing thin. Where Smile (2022) failed in showing how society dismisses the mentally unwell, Talk to Me succeeded.

I would highly recommend Talk to Me for any horror fan.