Sophie Wilde. © 2023 A24, Screen Australia, South Australian Film Corporation, Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund, Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology, and Causeway Films. Directed by Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou.
Watched it at AMC Theaters
Ok...Talk to me. When I saw who was directing this project, I knew right away this was going to be an instant banger. After seeing the film twice, this is going to be an interesting review to write because this is the freshest horror story I've seen in a long time. The creativity on screen is immaculate and the horror aspects are through the roof. This is a film that hardcore horror fans and even movie fans will absolutely enjoy and be glued to the screen. The film doesn't just do horror right, but it allows you in on the characters' emotions, struggles, and addiction. Let's go to a wild party and test out this weird magic hand that you may encounter dead people through...or become the dead person itself. Story: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill and high-stakes party game -- until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces. Directors Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou took a simple horror concept and twisted it to its limits. The sheer amount of violence, horror, and insanity is present throughout this film. The Philippou brothers used their camera and directing magic from the YouTube videos they created and turned this film into a cinematic horror-fest. While this film isn't the huge gore fest and crazy camera work from Philippous' original content, there is still the flavor of RackRacka that is through the excellent camera work and direction with the characters and story. Speaking of characters and the story, the story is very engaging from start to finish. There is emotional weight and consequences behind every action these characters commit. The main character Mia (Sophia Wilde) has a unique character arc that goes in different directions that you may never expected to see. Wilde's performance really captures the teenager experience and her dynamic with her friends feels natural. I really loved how we get to experience these events through the eyes of Mia by following her every move with the hand object and how every action she takes will affect others. Plus, her personality makes her character more engaging and the performance feels fresh and vivid. The supporting cast is amazing including Alexandra Jensen as Jade. Miranda Otto is also great in the film as Sue. While she doesn't get to do much, she really encapsulates her presence between Mia and Jade. Overall, the performances here are some of the strongest I've seen in a horror film this year. With those performances into a gripping and haunting story, it makes the film more special and chaotic, in a good way. The story is simple yet refreshing to see in a unique horror film that anything can happen. The opening prologue sold me for the next hour and a half of the film. All in one take, setting up the vibe, atmosphere, and bloody horror of the film, I knew that I was going in for a treat. The film's pacing of the story was very smooth with no filler in between important scenes and character moments. It lets the story digest the world, characters, and the myth of the hand object. Plus, the hand object lore isn't explored a lot but the film gives you a quick rundown of the history behind this object and it's enough that you want to theorize more later. Certain plot points get very juicy when certain characters start to play with the object way too much where at a point, chaos starts to erupt. By the hour mark, the tension and horror don't stop and it holds you until the end. It's written so well by letting every scene and moment feel it has weight and it lets the audience digest each moment that has importance to the entire story. While the film is about supernatural beings and friendship, the film is really about trauma, grieving, and broken relationships. Plus, it's about fixing the broken things that have been broken for quite a while and you can't seem to fix it until you literally become broken. That is what I analyzed through the film's ending. Without spoilers, it's a heartbreaking ending that will let you think about your current relationships and how far can we maintain them until we destroy them with one action. Or even an action further. The story doesn't get too convoluted which is great because there's so much mystery behind this hand but it's really about these characters trying to get out of a situation that they shouldn't even be then in the first place. Even if the characters are not part of the situation with the hand object, they are still affected by the consequences of certain characters which makes the stakes of the film feel tight and real. With the addition of the horror aspects, it makes certain sequences feel haunting and fucked up. It's not full-on RackaRacka violence, but it gets you there at a point where you are in for a wild fucking ride.
That wild ride is carried by its horror elements. The camera work is fluid throughout the horror sequences with interesting shots and angles. Plus, the RackRacka flavor and directing makes these sequences feel like action sequences but in this case, through horror. The make-up effects of the creatures beyond the hand are scary and disgustingly good. Even some of the gore effects are pretty gruesome and deadly impactful to the story. The cinematography is very slick with interesting lighting choices and coloring use of muted and bright blues and reds. The editing here is also surprisingly great for a horror film. The pacing of each scene flows well and it doesn't waste its time on certain moments. However, when there's a crucial scene in the film, it slows down yet, with the strong directing from the Philippou brothers, the pacing through those scenes feels fast yet slow and meaningful. The score of this film is also solid alongside its interesting music choices. Nothing too crazy with its production design but I really like the simplicity of the possessed hand figure and to think that thing is real on the A24 shop is insane. Overall, the production and technical work of this film is amazing. With this film costing under five million dollars, it's incredible how they pulled off some of the biggest set pieces throughout the film while giving us an impactful terrifying story that expands on horror elements with a unique taste.
While there aren't a lot of flaws in this film, the one thing I could point out is the father dynamic between Mia and her father. I feel like there was something missing. Even though I loved the scenes between her and her mother because that's the core of the film, the father's storyline felt weak. Yet, I was still hooked in their scenes when they got into an argument about their mother's passing. Besides that, there could be some logical issues with its story decisions, but I was still invested from beginning to end. Haunting, darkly vivid, and gripping, Talk to Me is what horror films in this new era of cinema should be doing. Creating simple horror films with unique twists and turns that audiences won't expect. It passed beyond my expectations and I loved every second. This is a horror flick that many cinephiles and general audiences should watch. It's also emotional with its story and by the end, you will be asking more adventures of this hand fucking up people's lives. A definite must-watch horror film.
Now Available on VOD & 4K Blu-Ray!
Vizeit Score: "A"
(Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie cinema website.)
Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
0 Comments
|
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews. All Rights Reserved. |