Still grieving her mother's death, Australian teenager Mia joins friends at parties where kids grip an embalmed hand, say "Talk to me" and let the dead possess them for 90 seconds. It is a rush until Mia keeps the door open too long. YouTubers turned directors Danny and Michael Philippou make every scare feel physical.
Talk to Me is a 2023 horror and thriller film directed by Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou. This breakdown covers 5 techniques (1 cinematography, 2 narrative and 2 psychology), each with the scene where you can see it. If you like how it is made, 8½ uses several of the same techniques.
Moving the camera in 1 long, unbroken and carefully planned shot that follows the action through several spaces. You see how people fit into their world without a single cut.
How this film uses it
The film opens with 1 long, unbroken shot. It follows Cole down a quiet street and through a loud house party as he looks for his brother, then ends in sudden violence. It was the last scene the directors filmed, and they had 10 prop doors in case takes went wrong.
Where to see it
The opening party. Cole finds his brother Duckett and tries to take him home, and Duckett stabs him before turning the knife on himself.
Using a party or celebration as the place where normal rules are dropped and characters show who they really are. Afterwards, order often comes back down hard.
How this film uses it
The possessions start as a party game. Teenagers cheer and pass the embalmed hand around like a dare. The only rule is the 90-second limit, and the party mood makes everyone careless with it.
Where to see it
Mia's first turn at Hayley and Joss's gathering. She says "I let you in" and the room cheers. The possession runs slightly past 90 seconds.
Showing the human body being changed, damaged or falling apart. The horror works because you imagine it happening to your own body, and it often stands for mental suffering.
How this film uses it
When Riley's possession goes wrong, the spirits take over his body and make him smash his head into the table again and again. The directors used big prosthetics and kept the effects mostly practical, so the damage looks real and close. You feel every hit.
Where to see it
Riley's turn at Jade's house. Mia lets him go for 50 seconds, and he seems to be possessed by her mother before the spirits turn his body against itself.
Keeping it unclear what is real and what is imagined in the film's world. You end up as unsure as the main character.
How this film uses it
After Riley is hurt, Mia keeps seeing her dead mother, and the spirit tells her things about how she died. Mia can't tell which visions are real. You end up just as unsure, right up until she hurts her own father.
Where to see it
Mia's night at home with her father. Max reads her mother's suicide note and the spirit says he is lying. Then Mia hallucinates him attacking her and stabs him for real.
Ending the film where it started, or with a scene that echoes the opening. The repeat shows what has changed, or suggests the cycle will keep going.
How this film uses it
The film ends at a party much like the ones that started it all. Mia now appears to be one of the dead, and a stranger holding the hand says "I let you in". The game goes on without her.
Where to see it
The final scene. Mia, unseen by anyone in the hospital, grabs a hand held over a candle and is pulled into a party in Greece.
Questions
Talk to Me: quick answers
What filmmaking techniques does Talk to Me use?
CineCode breaks down 5 techniques in Talk to Me (2023): Tracking Shot Choreography, The Party as Transgression, Body Horror, Unreliable Reality and Circular Structure.
Who directed Talk to Me?
Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou directed Talk to Me, released in 2023. CineCode also covers Bring Her Back (2025).
What films are similar to Talk to Me?
Films that share techniques with Talk to Me include 8½ (1963), La Dolce Vita (1960), The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Perfect Blue (1997).
