The Hidden Details of Talk to Me

What did you think about Talk to Me? Did you like it? love it? Dislike it? Hate it? Abhor it? :D

I had no clue people didn't enjoy this film. Everyone I've talked to absolutely loved it including myself.

Here's why she wore white at the end! In the end when she dies and is in a pitch black void, Mia stands alone in white, even in death she's an outiler. Detached from her surroundings in the real world, detached from her surroundings in death. The only way for her to get another human connection again is from a bright yellow candle.

Regarding the ending - is it actually “predictable”, or is it a tragic foregone conclusion that an addict with no support system will spiral until their addiction finally kills them? Is it truly a mercy to intervene (ex: killing the dying kangaroo) or is it kinder to let nature take its course? The film does an excellent job at conveying these ideas through Mia’s character. They may not be wholly unique themes, but they’re well done here.

The angle of trauma and addiction is what makes this film so unique, this is why horror films of such nature are so special and it being done by YouTubers is such a huge step for not only them but countless others who are pursuing similar projects, it is just insanely respectful!

This movie was wild, AMAZING performances, and overall just a real treat. I pity those who got bogged down on perceived “flaws” and missed what a treasure this production was.

Wow, I didn't notice that this scene 10:45 is a direct foreshadowing of Mia's own demise. Even the framing and position of the injured kangaroo joey perfectly aligns with her own.

I love how the filmmakers committed to the premise and allowed Mia to go all the way down that dark path. I'm sure a more "Hollywood" take on Talk to Me would have tried to save the protagonist.

the soundtrack for this movie is so good. It really captures the fun teenage sound but in a eerie kinda off sounding way .

Man, I actually loved Mia. The actress does such a good job displaying grief, loneliness, and a longing for connection. By the end, I actually just felt so sad for her.

I think this analysis is right on point. I do think a crucial point is being missed. Yellow isn't the color of trauma, it's a warning. The kangaroo in the beginning is a direct reference to Mia's current struggles with grief and addiction. The kangaroo gets left to die because Mia can't deal with the problem that was created by her. Teen addicts get left to die because their parental figures and roll models can't/won't address the issue that drove their children into addition in the first place. Mia is a literal warning sign while giving out warning signs to her father and the people around her that she's going down a dark path. She needs help, she needs comfort, she needs a support system and just like she failed that kangaroo by choosing to leave it for dead, Mia's father and friends are leaving her for dead by choosing to ignore the root problem. Mia is a warning sign for us as the audience as well. We have to bare witness to everything Mia is going through. We watch her struggle and go down this dark path and the choices that brought her there. We as the audience can't do anything to help her, but odds are we wouldn't have done anything for her if we were witnessing it first hand in our own faces. That's the point of the film imo, addiction is not a personal issue, it's an epidemic and a societal issue. We as a society, and as loved ones, need to support and fight for the people who can't support themselves. Mia is our warning sign, we couldn't help her, but we can help the next Mia.

For a budget of $4.5mil, as a first-time film from YouTubers, I thought Talk to Me was pretty dang outstanding! The scene with the little brother doing the seance is one of the most brutal I’ve seen in a movie for a while!

Not sure if anyone has picked up on it, but the scene at the end when the father is ignoring Mia and getting in the elevator. The triangle elevator ping at the top of it indicates its going up and she can't come. I think they're indicating that his spirit is ascending(heaven), whille Mia's is staying put in purgatory or limbo, effectively being trapped.

I thought this was one of the best films of the year, but I wanted to point out that Riley's "IVE" bag is actually his catheter bag. Hence, the yellow-tinted liquid and the location of the bag being near the end of the bed. You're awesome! Keep up the good work.

i thought talk to me was a stellar movie! it’s not perfect by any means, but horror (and media in general) has mostly become a world of franchises and remakes so it’s really promising to see original stories be boosted into the public consciousness. the story definitely borrows elements from other movies (not a dig because everything is derivative in some way) but the way it was filmed and the character interactions made the possession concept feel fresh. plus, cinema has REALLY struggled to present gen z/younger people in a way that feels relatable or authentic so for doing that successfully, talk to me already far exceeds many other modern movies imo as a fan of horror, 2023 has been a great year so far! (ALSO THE TOE SUCKING SCENE WAS REALLY EFFECTIVE, I GAGGED)

⚠️Spoilers for the story⚠️ This movie gave me the vibe of peer pressure into doing drugs and also drug addiction the first time I watched it. The main character is depressed and grieving, and she finds a way to “feel better”. She even says that using the hand makes her feel good when she’s using it. And then the others around her and even she herself peer pressured others into using it. Until one person has a “bad trip” and ends up in the hospital. As someone who had a family member get in and out of rehab for abusing drugs, it really stuck with me as soon as I saw it. I also really like the use of audio whenever Mia is in an unstable mental state. Especially the scene after Riley bangs his head against the drawer or whatever and she walks out of the room. Also, the scene were her dad tried to talk to her and we don’t understand what he says. I was a very accurate representation of what auditory processing disorder sounds like (aka someone talks to you and your brain doesn’t process it and it just sounds like gibberish). It also just shows how much she disassociates. Overall, the scary parts of this movie really scared me. I loved the cinematography and audio. But the rest of the story wasn’t as interesting as the scary part.

Not necessarily a "masterpiece" per se, I agree, but I feel it's one of the best horror movies in quite a while, in years in fact. 4 out of 5 for me. The hopeless ending is what elevates it for me. I don't want happy endings in horror. It's supposed to be horror after all.

At 12:05, the sweater the protagonist wears after the first possession appears to be green when you stated that it is blue (there's a point to this). It makes sense for it to be green as it further reinforces your point on symbolism: Mia (yellow) is now in sync with the spirit (blue), the combination of which is green. As always, your ability to disect films the way you do is both informational and entertaining. Well done, and thank you for your work on this.

Drowning might not be the logical truth of Mia or her mother, but the metaphor goes some very apt places. A drowning person is fundamentally unable to sustain themselves, sinking in isolation. They require someone to notice them and their distress and an outstretch hand from above to pull them up, followed by other close-hand support to get the substance that shouldn't be in their bodies (water in their lungs) out. This sounds a lot like Mia or her mother, sinking alone into depression and unable to stop taking in despair which weighs them down until death seems the only option. Greif only compounds that isolation and depression for Mia, and she can't tell that the only outstretched hand she can find isn't trustworthy and might be dragging her further down, rather than helping to pull her up and out.

The detail and effort put into this movie is infinately greater than 99% of horror movies I've seen (Outside of A24). I watched it three times and still picked up new details and analogies, and the story is told so creatively it reminded me of Hereditary or The Lighthouse. Probably the best that can come out of modern horror movies told this way.