Communication is key in all-star indie studio A24’s newest release Talk to Me, an Australian horror picture that deftly explores themes of teenaged alienation, carelessness, and desperate desires for intimacy.
Mia (Sophia Wilde) is a school kid looking to feel a little alive again in the wake of her mother’s suicide. She and friends Riley (Joe Bird) and Jade (Alexandra Jensen) join up with the other youth around town to take part in the hot new craze: submitting yourself to be temporarily possessed by the dead.
It’s a fun, fresh take on the established teen horror “haunted game” subgenre, delving into topics of peer pressure, drug abuse and the disintegration of empathy within this digital age generation. It never once feels heavy-handed.
The young cast are in full command of this haunting script, penned by co-director Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, based on a concept by Daley Pearson. Special kudos to Chris Alosio as Joss, a jocky boy who shepherds newcomers through their possessions. He puffs up a bit of pomp for his parts in the ritual that at first show as adolescent cockiness, but simultaneously read as witch doctor camp in subtext. Striking such balance is worthy of some praise, and credits also to Philippou and co-director/brother Michael for getting this out of him.
Now, as stated, Talk to Me is a fresh concept, and the film knows it too. There’s a lot to be explored here and, perhaps to the film’s detriment, the story takes its time exploring all of those many “what-ifs” of its fledgling mythos. The last third stumbles, sometimes into predictability, disappointing for a film that displayed so much tact and edge in its first act.
Thankfully, it’s just over 90 minutes, so even if the come-down may feel like a bit of a by-the-motions slog, Talk to Me is a quick fix of high horror fun that you’ll want to make sure everyone is getting in on.
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