1.7.23
“What happens after 90 seconds?”
“They’ll want to stay.”
Thanks to an inventive supernatural artefact and surprising emotional impact, Talk to Me is another impressive horror debut to join A24’s fresh catalogue of independent films. Co-directors Danny and Michael Philippou craft an atmospheric and threatening world so effortlessly, it’s hard to believe this is their first full feature.
Although focusing on a cast of frankly irritating Gen Z phone-addled teenagers, the film wrings genuine frights and moving insights from the nightmarish premise. Sophie Wilde delivers an impressive range as the protagonist Mia: she convincingly reflects the loneliness, fragility and obsession for closure of someone unable to let go of grief. Though her friends feel straight out of a generic ‘young adult’ drama, Wilde’s emotional performance grounds the horror.
Through confident direction not relying on jump scares, the film builds tension through simple but precise techniques such as drawn-out silences, unanswered summons, and creative apparitions. In some ways, I was reminded of the film It Follows which does a similar trick in having the villainous presence take on many different disturbing forms. While the creepy manifestations horrify in the moment, the lasting impact lies more in the sadness fueling them.