Talk to Me
From the bleak suburbs of Adelaide, a new form of hardcore horror arrives courtesy of first-time directors Danny and Michael Philippou.
I want to hold your hand: Joe Bird
There’s not been a whole lot of films about the teenage subculture of Adelaide, Australia. The classmates and other mates of this particular suburb don’t rely too much on alcohol or hard drugs to get their kicks, although Jade and Riley’s mother Sue (Miranda Otto) believes otherwise. Nope, these teenagers have something entirely more unsavoury at hand. Much like the protagonists of Candyman, there’s a dare factor at play here as Joss (Chris Alosio) goads his friends to partake in a particularly perturbing party trick. With all their phones out recording the event, and a candle lit, a subject is strapped to a chair and must hold the severed, embalmed hand of an erstwhile therapist while uttering the words, “talk to me”… What follows is immediately unnerving and would seem to invite a sinister presence to the revelry. For the participants it’s a singular rush, a moment of madness that can be gleefully brushed away after 90 seconds…
Initially, it’s unclear who is who, where they are, or even what they are saying. All we know is that it’s a dark and stormy night and there’s an air of malaise in the air. Mia (Sophie Wilde) feels like an outsider and is obviously a troubled soul, her background taking shape as the story progresses. Sophie Wilde is certainly a sympathetic presence, another of the directors’ sly manoeuvres designed to disconcert and disconnect the viewer as what reality we are offered is twisted out of shape before our eyes. At first, the incoherence is a severe irritant, as are the underlit interiors, the mumbled dialogue and the incessant phubbing. But this is a very particular world summoned up by the twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, and there’s obviously a deeply unsettling madness in their method. The fact that four separate optometrists are listed in the credits gives a hint of what is to come.
In many ways, the true star of the picture is sound designer Emma Bortignon, whose malign approach is more distinct than anything in the narrative or visual palette. Considering the intensity of some of the scenes, this formidable sweetener for the upcoming The Exorcist: Believer sequel feels far more like an 18-certificate film than a 15. Judging by the early walk-outs by distraught members of the audience as witnessed by this critic, Talk to Me could only really be recommended to those with a cast-iron mental constitution. Nightmares are virtually guaranteed.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen.
Dir Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou, Pro Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton, Ex Pro Miranda Otto, Screenplay Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, Ph Aaron McLisky, Pro Des Bethany Ryan, Ed Geoff Lamb, Music Cornel Wilczek, Costumes Anna Cahill, Sound Emma Bortignon.
Causeway Films/Bankside Films/Talk to Me Holdings/Head Gear Films/Screen Australia/Metrol Technology/The South Australian Film Corporation/Adelaide Film Festival/BFI-Altitude Film Distribution.
94 mins. Australia. 2022. UK and US Rel: 28 July 2023. Cert. 15.
