Not half bad, which is not to say only half good, TALK TO ME is a superior supernatural spinner blessed with a trio of stellar lead performances.
TALK TO ME has something of the post Poe, as, in his The Masque of Red Death, there is much that is beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might excite disgust.
Something of the terrible takes place in the opening vignette, a neighbourhood party taking on the nightmare of a psychotic episode.
Cut to a teenage driver, Mia, still mourning the apparent suicide death of her mother, coming upon the recently hit body of a kangaroo, the marsupial still breathing but mortally wounded. Mia’s dilemma to put it out of its misery or leave it to die is put to the test. The horror of killing, even as an act of mercy, is something Mia finds unpalatable.
No such qualms are conjured when she attends a possession party. These gatherings are the latest craze after a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand. They become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far, overdoses on the demonic, and opens the door to the spirit world, forcing them to choose who to trust: the dead or the living.
The real-world horror in the film stems from the consequences of reckless behaviour as an outlet; and the supernatural horror stems from the fallout of repressed feelings breaking free. It’s a balancing act that is maintained for much of the film’s run time, a nifty ninety five minutes.
An allegory of peer pressure and rites of passage, TALK TO ME shows a sure pair of hands in film making from its directors, DANNY PHILIPPOU & MICHAEL PHILIPPOU. Danny also had a hand in the screenplay, co-written with Bill Hinzman, from a concept by Daley Pearson.
Sophie Wilde as Mia, Alexandra Jensen as her best friend, Jade, and Miranda Otto as Jade’s mum, Sue make a formidable triumvirate of talent.
Production values throughout are excellent from Aaron McLisky’s cinematography, Bethany Ryan’s production design, Anna Cahill’s costumes, Emma Bortignon’s sound design and Geoff Lamb’s editing.
Although playing with expected tropes, TALK TO ME has a palpable authenticity in its creation of characters, its appeal transcending the genre, a sequence of unease that will have you in the palm of its hand.