Grieving the loss of her mother, a teen will grip tightly onto a conduit to the afterlife, not knowing the dangerous door it unlocks. The newest release from acclaimed film house A24, Talk to Me elevates the idea of a teen supernatural horror by not being afraid to raise the stakes while beautifully exploring grief.
Having recently lost her mother, Mia (Sophie Wilde) looks for a distraction while clinging to her best friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) for comfort. She tags along to a house party where the main event is an embalmed hand that supposedly allows you to reach the spirit world.
The strange party game has gone semi-viral online, but there is still a bit of skepticism. Curious to know the truth, Mia volunteers and connects to a ghost, letting it into her body. Finding the experience enthralling, the group attempts a second session a few nights later.
When Jade’s little brother Riley (Joe Bird) begs to participate this time, he seems to get possessed by Mia’s mother. Desperate to connect to her mom, Mia pushes the limits of the game and unlocks a door for the spirits to find insidious new ways to torment her.
Talk to Me offers a unique take on the spirit world and possession, with a totem that makes an Ouija board seem like child’s play. There are no subtleties in the ghostly presence, no creaking doors that leave an air of mystery as to if the afterlife exists. No, the apparitions are clear as day, and the dangers they can possess are what’s most consuming.
The movie positions the seance activity as a drug-like high the teens cannot help but crave. Almost like an addiction, their curiosity ignores all potential warnings of the real dangers.
While there is a distinctive emphasis on this as a habit, the film is also focused on the aspect of grief (but not in the sense of overt metaphors). Especially in Mia’s time of immense grief, she needs to cling to something. And when that something offers a glimmer of hope, she is unable to see what creeps its way in.
There’s also a beautiful woven theme of mercy. The film carries many instances of something or someone needing help and some cases, being put out of its misery. As Mia tries to understand the truth of her mother’s passing, this theme reemerges in a way that ties into the ending in a macabre poetic way.
Outside of deeper meanings, Talk to Me knows how to amplify the tense horrors within in great fashion. From a striking opening to the grotesque practical effects to some truly disturbing moments — that may or may not involve foot-sucking. The film is not cheap with its thrills, rather meticulously placing them throughout.
There is even an incredible body horror segment, although just for a fleeting moment, that would make David Cronenberg immensely pleased.
Directors Danny & Michael Philippou have crafted something fascinating with Talk to Me. It gives viewers some truly unnerving moments carried by great performances — especially Wilde’s. And there’s an elegance to the final sequence. A bleak ending that unravels like a somber curtain call. It feels whole but leaves just enough of an enigma to keep your curiosity beyond the credits roll.
Talk to Me is in theaters Friday
Jordy Reviews It 
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