Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Talk to Me’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sophie Wilde as Mia in A24’s ‘Talk to Me’. Directed by Danny Philippou & Michael Philippou. (Photo Courtesy of A24.)

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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It is definitely safe to say, that modern society has made some incredible strides when it comes to understanding and treating mental illness. For we finally understand that the brain and the emotions it creates, is no different than any other part of our body and requires healing and maintenance like anything else. And that has allowed for a great many taboos to come crashing down at last, since we finally know that erratic behavior and excessive tears are related to a mental injury instead of something random and scary. But while incredible strides have indeed been made on such matters, make no mistake about it… we still have a long way to go in busting taboos and treating mental health issues. Especially when it comes to what our minds and emotions do when injured by the grief that comes from losing a loved one. 

Because for some reason we still see death and its impact as something that cannot be discussed in an open-air setting. It’s simply a hardship that will occur that we don’t prepare others or ourselves for, and that leads to a shock when someone we love deeply is suddenly gone one day, and our mental health suffers. Not to mention, we don’t address grief or how powerful it can be following the loss of a loved one. We simply believe it will run its course, or that people need to suck it up and get back into the world, since it is still turning. When in fact, people need a catered mental health experience regarding death, to process the loss and to properly grieve. Or they will suffer. So, how then, do we possibly begin to properly explore death and its power, so that we can speak to it and support others better? Well one way is through storytelling, and it just so happens that a new horror movie from A24, takes the time to explore all of that, by having us observe all of those elements in an intimate manner in Talk to Me.

A feat that this film accomplishes, by introducing to a teenager named Mia. Who has… been through some tough years. For she recently lost her mother, and her family life has been shattered and quite frankly, she has been shattered as well, and is doing her best to put her life back together and just forge ahead. But while she is putting on a happy face and getting by, death haunts her, as does how her mother passed and well… that prompts her to take part in quite the risky game. For a few friends have in their possession, the mummified hand of a long-dead medium, and touching it and requesting that spirits talk to the person in contact with the hand… can allow for an ethereal encounter to take place. An act that thrills Mia and her friends to no end, since it works. That is until Mia’s mother makes contact, along with something sinister, which brings forth a disastrous session. One that leaves a family friend possessed and the door open to the other side, and now it will be up to Mia to decide what comes next. Since she can either leave the gateway open and be near her mom or let her go and save lives in the process.

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Which is… the perfect way to explore the subject matter at hand. Since everything in the plot, relates to the fact that we don’t treat death with the gravity it deserves, nor do we really do much for those grieving. As evidenced by the fact that Mia cannot process her trauma or her pain. She just forges ahead as the world expects of her, and that pushes her to explore the dangers of the other side, and the aloof nature with which everyone treats that creepy hand… really is the allegory for how we don’t take death and grief seriously. We see it as something of a game at times and something we observe from afar. But the horrors that are imparted upon everyone in this tale reminds us of how quickly it can infect our lives and how… our desire to be away from the sorrow it creates or the belief that the journey of grief is to be handled alone by those suffering through it… can lead to danger. 
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Not in the sense that spirits will come into our lives and wreak the havoc they do here. But through the reality that grief can in fact, rip a person’s psyche and life to shreds. For grief can and will… drag people to their lowest and consume them and eat at their soul and put them in a dark place all the time… and that is what we see with Mia here. For she truly is struggling every single second she is on screen and she truly is as lost as the souls that roam our world, and her pain and her suffering, is what points out that without real care and real intervention for those hurting, life can slip away as well for folks suffering through grief. All of which takes us on a powerfully immersive journey that gives the viewer great pause. For this that rare story that holds nothing back regarding the power of such matters and the lessons and the moments stick with you, courtesy of the scares. 

Simply because, make no mistake about it, this is a horror film, and the ghosts that haunt this world are scary and violent and horrifying, and they explore our fears of death and what awaits us in the afterlife perfectly and more importantly… they freak you the hell out. Courtesy of the intensity they bring to the moment and the surprises they inject into the story and well, in the end… all of these elements combine to create a very cerebral and haunting horror story. One that really does feature something for every horror fan out there. Because if you’re looking for hard scares, you’ll find it, and if you want gore, that’s here too. And of course, if you want deeper meaning, that’s here in spades, and that is really where this story shines. Because it finally makes grief relatable and accessible, so that we can finally start to confront our fear of it, and help people heal from one of the most difficult injuries their mind will ever experience.   

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