Talk to Me (2023) – review, opinion about the movie [M2 Films] Summoning ghosts always ends well, right?

A few Australian children are playing a game of summoning spirits with a figurine of a hand that may have belonged to a long dead psychic. The point is, this isn’t just fun, and not being careful can even cost the participants their lives…

I love silly horror movies, but there has to be a limit somewhere. If the film’s protagonists know that the game of summoning ghosts is the most real thing and someone has already lost their life because of it – which is communicated to us very directly in the first scene of the film – and yet they still want to tempt fate and enjoy when someone finds themselves so close to Point of no return, I’m sorry, but they totally deserve whatever happens to them in the movie. And because the viewer is accompanied by a sense of correctness when seeing the observed events, it is difficult to enter into an atmosphere of terror, until he is actually afraid of what will happen.. Because how can we worry about someone when we think that person is just asking for trouble?!

Talk to Me (2023) – review, opinion about the movie [M2 Films]. Horror is shown well

In theory, Danny and Michael Philippou’s first film is a very competent bogeyman. The scenes with the ghosts feature a solid dose of atmosphere—the guys know how much to show, what elements to focus on, and how to play with light and shadow. The audiovisual layer of the film is not a problem at all – if you need to crank up the tension, it can also grab someone’s attention! The guys regularly build up an atmosphere of uncertainty, locking the characters with the viewers in a tight cage, not letting them see what awaits them next. – and this is through strong close-ups, due to the emphasis on pitch, close-ups of breath, growls, and other sounds that our bodies make. The result is shots in which we almost feel as if we have personally embraced the characters, experiencing everything with them.

The film’s main character is Mia (Sophie Wilde), a sweet teen – I think – whose life has turned out differently than she’d like, and as a result is now a guest in the home of Sue, Jade and Riley (Miranda Otto, Alexandra Jensen and Joe, respectively). the birds). Although not related by blood, the family treats her as their own. Mia and Jade decide to go to a party together, during which the performance that I briefly mentioned above will take place. From this evening, troubles will begin that will threaten the health and, possibly, lives of our heroes.

Talk to Me (2023) – review, opinion about the movie [M2 Films]. Undercooked text

Young champions are doing a good job. They create characters when they are themselves, and while calling they play and look different enough that it’s easy to sell that we’re looking at someone else in the moment. Whether they’re really interesting characters adding depth to the story is another matter, but without a doubt the first-rate cast sells it.. On the other hand, the older generation fares less well, especially Jade and Riley’s mother, Sue, whose whole personality boils down to worrying about her kids and dropping them annoying texts about vaginas, penises, and so on. Her example is also the best example of inconsistency in screenwriting — Sue is completely angry one second, and the next full of forgiveness, even though nothing has changed.

There are many similar and unannounced character changes in the film, most of which revolve around the main plot. They are the ones who spoil the whole show the most, because they distort our idea of ​​the story being told. I was really horrified at how utterly stupid the script was at times, but you just had to push the plot in a certain direction, So here we were getting a nonsensical set of events where the characters acted as the story demanded, not logically, based on considered decisions, how they would naturally react.

Talk to Me is such a unique film that it is also the directorial debut of Danny and Michael Filippoet. And just as the guys can never deny a knack for constructing situations that could be seen as scary and atmospheric, so on the hard-to-address topic of reliable interpersonal interactions, their script fails regularly, making it difficult to get right into the atmosphere they’re trying to create. It’s an interesting story, but it lacks the depth to allow it to fully resonate. I recommend it to those who value atmosphere over history.