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Talk to Me
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (24th December 2023). |
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The Film
 "Talk to Me" (2022) After losing her mother to an overdose and having a distant relationship with her father, the only people that 17 year old Mia (played by Sophie Wilde) has been able to confide in is her best friend Jade (played by Alexandra Jensen) and her family, with her younger brother Riley (played by Joe Bird) and their mother Sue (played by Miranda Otto) as a second family. A recent viral sensation within the kids’ community has been parties in which kids would get high through a spiritual possession. Schoolmates Joss (played by Chris Alosio) and Hayley (played by Zoe Terakes) have been hosting the parties, in which a mysterious embalmed hand is used to supposedly communicate with the spirits. Although Mia and Jade are skeptical of it being staged, they discover that the act of letting in spirits is all too real… Twin YouTubers Danny and Michael Philippou, also known as RackaRacka have racked up over a billion views with their channel of comedy shorts over a decade span, with an almost superstar level in their native Adelaide, Australia. The pair were looking to make a feature length film, and their horror script “Talk to Me” was considered by a Hollywood studio for production. Unfortunately there were too many suggestions and deviations from the original script, so the brothers decided to produce it independently through homegrown means. In 2014 they worked as assistants on the hit horror film “The Babadook”. Causeway Films, the production company that was established with the film would help the Philippous with bringing “Talk to Me” to the big screens. Danny Philippou stated that when he was teenager, he saw a video of a friend that had a bad reaction to drugs that made him convulse during a party, and instead of everyone trying to help, they were ready with their phones to record the reaction. Though there was some humor in seeing a friend’s odd reaction, it also became a disturbing afterthought of what had happened. The incident was a key into the idea for “Talk to Me”, which would replace the drug intake with spirit intake, with kids experimenting in dangerous activities. There are obvious inspirations from various exorcism films which the genre is plentiful with classics as well as having a number of clunkers. “Talk to Me” may not be entirely original in its concept, though it has enough to set it apart from others with the viral twist of people wanting to take part in spiritual possession, as well as having strong characters and plot devices. The character of Mia is the center of the story, with a teen dealing with the trauma of seeing her mother overdose and being helpless, and clearly having social issues with her peers. She may have a healthy looking relationship when she is with Jade, but other classmates see her as a downer and unwilling to converse with her. When she has the opportunity to take part in the possession party, things certainly change for her. The experience of having a spirit possess her becomes an amazing experience for her. A feeling of wonder and also acceptance by her peers. But the highs of experiencing possession leads to a darker path, as during her first possession the spirit tries to stay too long, which leads to Mia starting to see and experience bizarre things throughout the days. Wilde does an excellent job with her role as Mia which is a daunting role with the physical and mental stresses that she goes through. From being a teen that is afraid of confronting death as seen with her encounter with the dying kangaroo on the road and with her flashbacks to her mother’s passing, it is a role with a lot of depth and despair who is trying to escape from it. The supporting roles are also excellent. Miranda Otto as Jade and Riley’s single mother Sue being protective of her children, but being sharp and loving has her steal a few scenes. Joe Bird as Riley is a young kid that is trying to fit in and find acceptance from his friends but is still a little kid at heart. Alexandra Jensen as Jade is basically the neutral point, as she is not the most popular kid, nor is she disliked, but she has to tie many of the binds together in both friendships and her family. The script, which was co-written by Bill Hinzman does a stellar job in giving just enough depth to make audiences care for the characters, while not going overboard in exposition. It’s never mentioned why Sue and her husband divorced, and what Mia’s life was like for the last two years is also not particularly mentioned, though they are not particularly consequential to the story entirely. Shot and produced entirely in Adelaide, “Talk to Me” does not shy away from its Australian roots yet it doesn’t firmly stand as being entirely Australian, keeping with a universal appeal through teen angst and acceptance. As with any horror production, the scares and the effects are important and in this case, there is more work in practical effects than digital, though there are some cases of digital tinkering done in post production. It is actually quite impressive what was done through practical magic, such as the puppeteering of the dying kangaroo, the outcomes of the possessions gone wrong, and the makeup effects of the spirits. The directors have pointed out that most of the digital effects were with minor touches to lighting, color correction, and removal of mirror reflections, etc. rather than for major setpieces which keeps everything looking grounded in reality. There was also great effort put in the look with the color palate such as Mia’s nails, the differences in lighting with each home, and the visuals of the spirits. The directors have also stated that it was truly a group effort with making the production come to life with suggestions from the various crew, as it was their debut feature and much more planned out than their YouTube videos. “Talk to Me” tackles addiction, depression, peer pressure, and the woes of teen life in a unique direction with spirit possession that has captivated audiences with its release. The scares are timed well and the sense of atmosphere to make the horror scenes effective are calculated well, while still including enough depth with the characters and storyline. The film premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival on October 30th, 2022 and then had international screenings in 2023 at Sundance, South by Southwest, Berlin and others. It had its general theatrical release from the weekend of July 27th, 2023 in Australia as well as a number of other countries worldwide. The $4.5 million budgeted film grossed over $90 million worldwide by the end of 2023, and has become the most talked about horror film of the year with high critical praise. There are now talks of having a sequel and/or prequel to the story with the directors, though it is still early to tell which will happen first. But even if neither happens, “Talk to Me” is quite a stellar film that can stand on its own. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10 / Dolby Vision. Shot digitally on an Arri Alexa Mini LF, the film is presented in 4K resolution and the image is spectacular here. Darkness is certainly key with many of the scary scenes and the bold dark colors and tones register well, in addition to the more brighter hues in daytime scenes and in other moments, heightened by the HDR 10 / Dolby Vision, which is an unusual case for Umbrella Entertainment as they have almost always used SDR graded transfers for their UHD releases until now. (This is most likely due to the fact that there is one approved 4K master being used worldwide.) The image is consistently sharp and crisp with the depth and detail, and is entirely without flaws to speak of. An excellent looking transfer all the way. The film's runtime is 94:47.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo There are two lossless audio tracks for the film with one being in 5.1 and other being a stereo downmix. The directors stated that the surrounds were an integral part to the filmmaking process and they were sure to make use of the directional approach in key scenes. The center is used for almost all dialogue which sounds clear throughout. The directional speakers are used effectively through music and ambiance, with subtle uses of effects sounding great. The audio sounds well balanced throughout the feature and there are no defects to speak of. There are optional English HoH subtitles for the feature in a white font, which are well timed and easy to read.
Extras
Audio commentary with writers/directors Danny and Michael Philippou This commentary with the brothers was recorded while they were in the United Kingdom during a press tour for the film. They dive right into things very quickly from giving scene specific explanations on the behind the scenes, such as the opening one shot one take took ten takes to do with the door behind bashed down and having extras around until 4:00AM, being able to use Sia's song "Chandelier" for free, how some of the practical effects were done and much more. They also talk (and sometimes argue) about the inspirations for the film, the characters and the writing process, creating the hand sculpture, and much more. They do apologize for the commentary track as it was their first time doing so and weren't prepared entirely, though they are able to give a lot of great information while bouncing off each other for a fun and fascinating chat. And I should say "Grapefruit" to that. in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 without subtitles Sydney Premiere Q&A (10:28) This premiere Q&A has an on stage chat with the Philippou brothers and Wilde before the screening of the film so there are no major spoilers to be had. They discuss about going independent for the film for creative freedom, Wilde discusses her character and her performance, some behind the scenes stories, as well as films that influenced them. Unfortunately it doesn’t look or sound very professional, as the sound from the microphones are not a direct feed but picked up from the camera’s mic which causes a lot of echo from the theater itself. It is entirely a static shot from the left side of the theater, so they look quite small as the main focus looks to be the movie screen behind them. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Behind the Scenes" featurette (8:01) This featurette includes interviews with the cast and crew discussing the film plus clips of the film and behind the scenes footage. Discussed are the differences of making RackaRacka episodes for YouTube and a feature film, about the characters, the makeup and prosthetic effects, showcasing Australian youths, and more. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.39:1 / 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Interviews with Cast & Crew: - Danny & Michael Philippou (18:02) - Sophie Wilde (2:21) - Alex Jensen (2:22) - Joe Bird (1:58) - Miranda Otto (4:14) - Zoe Terakes (3:52) - Chris Alosio (3:54) - Otis Dhanji (3:15) - Samantha Jennings (6:57) Presented here are a series of interviews with the cast and crew in full form, all of which are seen partially in the featurette above. The directors have the longest time, as they discuss about the making of the film and about the actors and crew members. The actors talk about their roles and their thoughts on the Philippou brothers and the experience on set. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Deleted Scenes (6:54) Presented here are six scenes, with Mia being suggested to ask about what happened to her mother by her aunt, Riley walking to school, a deleted line by Daniel’s character that was hysterical but not too fitting with his character, Mia and her father after the incident with Riley, deleted dialogue from the scene of Jade and her mother in the car outside the hospital in the rain, and Joss, Hayley and Mia going to Duckett & Cole’s home. All of the scenes are color corrected and fully edited. It’s fairly easy to see why these were removed, as some of them were repeating dialogue or plot points mentioned in other scenes or for pacing reasons. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.39:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Trailer (1:55) The effective Australian trailer (which is labeled on YouTube as trailer "2", is presented here. It has also been embedded below, courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 2.39:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The Australian release has a good number of extras, though the featurettes and interviews are basic EPK pieces rather than an in-depth documentary or being case specific featurettes. Also it would have been nice to include some of the brothers' shorts from RackaRacka's YouTube channel as extras, especially of their horror themed ones, but they are not available here. The film has been released on the UHD (and Blu-ray) format in the United States by Lionsgate, which exclusively has a Dolby Atmos track. It also has the exclusive "In the Grip of Terror" featurette. In addition, the Amazon exclusive edition has a bonus disc with a Q&A differing from the Australian release. There is also a UHD (and Blu-ray) edition in the United Kingdom by Altitude, which has an exclusive "No Spoilers" featurette plus a few differing interviews. Other notable clips: Official trailer, courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment "We Made a Horror Film" from RackaRacka's channel "We Released Our Film Worldwide" from RackaRacka's channel The Philippou brothers at SXSW 2023 Sophie Wilde and Zoe Tarakes interviewed for Yahoo Australia Scene breakdown with the Philippou brothers for Fandango Japanese Trailer
Packaging
The 4K UltraHD Blu-ray is packaged in a standard keep case, available at various retailers and from Umbrella Entertainment directly. Packaging mistakenly doesn't state Dolby Vision is included. There is also a standard Blu-ray edition available, which has the same extras as the 4K release, also in a keep case and available at various retailers and from Umbrella Entertainment directly. The packaging mistakenly states region B only, but it is in fact region ALL. In addition to the two standard releases above, there are two collector's editions available. First is a Collector's Edition of 2600 copies available exclusively from the Umbrella Web Shop which includes: - Steelbook case with both the 4K UltraHD Blu-ray and the standard Blu-ray - 48 page bound book - A Collection of Behind-The-Scenes, Experiences & Art - Custom designed outer rigid slipcase using scans from an official prop hand - 8 artcards - A3 reversible poster 
The Steelbook is debossed with the iconic hand comic from the darkness on the front and having nothing on the back. The inner design is the poster still of the hand hovering over Mia. The booklet includes a directors’ statement from the brothers, notes on the making of, the casting, and the financing (by an uncredited writer), a printed interview with the directors by Silva Vann-Wall first published on Screenhub, plus artwork and stills. The outer slip has its exclusive design to mimic the vandalized embalmed hand from the film. The artcards are printed on thick cards and feature stills from the film. The poster has one side with the artwork of the Steelbook and the other with Riley being possessed. There is also a Big Collector's Edition limited to 2000 copies available exclusively from the Umbrella Web Shop which also includes: - Full-sized customisable replica polyresin hand from a scan of the official movie prop includes Artline Supreme marker The large packaged box with instructions has graffiti similar to the hand itself, with the hand sculpture packaged safely with styrofoam. The scultupre itself is as said made from the original movie prop and has weight to it plus a base to keep it still. On the bottom of the base is the limited edition number, and the hand itself is free from writing and is pure white. 
Overall
"Talk to Me" gives the possession horror genre a breath of fresh air with its execution, with compelling characters and effectively made by the Philippou brothers on the feature film debut. The Umbrella Entertainment 4K release features an excellent presentation with audio and video, with a good number of extras. Very recommended.
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