The Mosley Review: Talk To Me
I remember as a kid that all the witches and true Goth teens that were all about "the dark and endless void in which our spirit shall rest" lifestyle. Sometimes they would invite other kids to a party and at some parties they would have a seance or a ouija board would be brought out. They would claim to see stuff and then pass it on like a creepy ghost story throughout the halls of the school. Many films like Stigmata and The Craft were some of the inspirations and classic teen films about supernatural horror were everywhere. The level of originality and creative scary visuals got better then started dying off when the Paranormal Activity films started taking over. Now comes this film which takes a simple and universally friendly acknowledge of communication and twists it into something more sinister and creepy. That was the beauty of the concept and it is put to full use and nothing is held back. I loved the visuals of the many spirits and how the possession would violently take place. The sense of desperation, psychological and emotional trauma was on full display and its always fun to see how the characters handle it. I liked that certain characters were around only when needed instead of over crowding the screen even if a few of them were very one note.
Sophie Wilde as Mia was the lead of the film and she knocks it out of the park. The amount of desperation for wanting to rekindle the flame of young love and her need to fit in wasn't necessarily new, but her portrayal made it relatable. The quick turn of events for her life as we get to the main plot was astounding. Her rough emotional journey into madness was excellent and her performance kept me engaged. Marcus Johnson plays her father Max and I felt he was very one note. He was very good at delivering the emotional weight of the strained and distant relationship between him and his daughter. Alexandra Jensen as her best friend Jade was great and funny at times with her snarky remarks. Their friendship felt natural and the genuine moments of bonding between them was good. Joe Bird was really good as Jade's younger brother Riley. He represented the "younger brother looking up to older sibling" type and it was cute at times. He represented that last shred of innocence in the film. Miranda Otto is always great to see on screen and as Jade and Riley's mother Sue, she was a firecracker. She wasn't afraid to lay down the law in the house and I loved how she embarassed her daughter in a particular scene. Otis Dhanji was good as Jade's boyfriend Daniel. He is stuck in a love triangle between Jade and Mia and I liked the tension between them and I'm glad it didn't overshadow the story. Zoe Terakes was good the dealer of the school, Hayley. Hayley was the purveyor of "The Hand" and I liked her devilish enjoyment of the possession scenes.
The score by Cornel Wilczek was good and creepy in the more intense scenes. The use of silence is where this film excels. There is power in not using score in the most obvious moments of horror and that was used well here. I loved the design of the "The Hand" and the markings add that extra level of demonic iconography. Where I feel the film lacks is in the middle after the majority of haunts begin. I would've loved for a not so obvious twist in the psychological moment that kicks off the last 30 minutes of the film. I liked the visual foreshadowing earlier in the film and how it paid off. I've been a fan of the YouTube creators behind the wild and awesome channel RackaRacka, Danny and Michael Philippou. For a debut film, this was an fantastic supernatural horror film that plays to their strengths and shows that they have a bright future as storytellers on the big screen. I can't wait to see where they go from here. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
