A24’s Talk to Me was released on Friday, July 28th, 2023. Talk to Me was written and directed by Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou. Talk to Me was praised by famous horror icons such as Stephen King (writer of the book’s IT, Misery, and The Shining), Ari Aster (director of Hereditary, Midsomer, and Beau is Afraid), and Stephen Spielberg (director of Jaws, E.T., and Saving Private Ryan). I was very excited for this to be released. The fact that two YouTubers got a movie they made bought by A24 is very exciting, and I was intrigued from the start. I finished the movie, and I left the theatre with a massive thought process about what I just watched, I came to the conclusion, “That was the best movie I’ve seen this year”.
That statement still holds value as of writing this review. Everything about Talk to Me is fantastic. I started to fall in love with the opening scene. The one-take looked incredible and gave you what the hand can do to a person without telling you why he was acting like that. It keeps the creepy aspect of the movie if you don’t tell what is happening to people in this place right at the beginning of the movie, which makes the pacing of the movie flow smoothly. Nothing moves too quickly, and nothing moves too slowly. The deeper meaning of the movie is how drugs can affect someone who has lost. It has been said in the movie that using the hand gives you a euphoric feeling, like you’re having an out-of-body experience, which gets the character addicted to the hand.
The actors in the movie are all fairly new to the acting game, but they all put on an excellent performance. Sophie Wilde put forth such a moving performance as Mia; it made me truly believe that’s how someone would act if they could talk to the dead.
Joe Bird, who played Riley, is a young boy whose best friend is his older sister’s friend, Mia. He does a great job being the kid who wants to try it, but the consequences are dire. One of my favourite scenes from the movie is when a group of friends are all using the hand as a montage. The Montage is a very moving scene. Since the hand is a metaphor for drugs, the montage reminds me of a bunch of friends smoking weed together. I love how all of the people at the session are having a great time, having a laugh, and getting a euphoric feeling. Lastly, the ending of Talk to Me is a fantastic way to end the film. Mia dies and becomes the dead person that people talk to when others use their hands.
Everything about this movie is perfect in my eyes. From the acting to the writing, the cinematography, and the pacing make Talk to Me an Indie Horror classic. I am very excited about what the Philippou twins can do with the sequel.
Comment your thoughts on Talk to Me. Have you seen it? Did you like it? What did you like about it? What Didn’t you like about it?
If you want to learn more about Talk to Me, go to https://a24films.com/films/talk-to-me or watch the movie on any streaming service where available.