A group of Australian friends learn to conjure spirits with an embalmed hand in Talk to Me. They get carried away and release terrible supernatural spirits. It was A24’s second-biggest launch after “Hereditary,” earning over $10 million opening weekend.

Talk to Me’s twin directors Danny and Michael Philippou spoke to me. They illuminated the film’s themes. It touches on supernatural, social media, family dynamics, mental health, and communication.

“The main thing is that we want them to have an entertaining experience,” stated Danny Philippou. Characters reveal personal fears and experiences. From the beginning to the end, you’re on edge. Danny wanted the movie to scare him and the audience. He did it brilliantly.

Teens use this hand to converse to spirits in previews. It has considerably more meaning. “Especially with young people, they struggle to express themselves properly, and a lot of things are left unsaid,” Michael added. They’re trying to fake natural connections. Onscreen, you witness young kids grappling with their own lives, traumas, and attempts to fit in. Instead of talking, they touch to bond. 

“Everyone sees our phone as ourselves. Danny Philippou noted a disconnect. In the movie, the teens always record on their phones, even when things go wrong. The brothers utilized this to show how today’s society is more interested in recording an unpleasant event than taking in the brevity of what is happening in real time.  

“You can’t really make mistakes these days,” Michael observed as we talked about social media, a key element in the film. Characters ask others to cease filming or delete footage throughout the film when they feel embarrassed by what is being recorded. Michael noted that these recordings “captured and immortalized forever.” He pondered how anyone can ever really learn from their mistakes when the footage can be brough back up one day.  

“You sort of shut off from your normal parents and try to escape somewhere else when things are too hard to talk about,” said Danny Philippou. The film addresses family dynamics, mental illness, and communication. After her mother’s death, Mia, played by Sophie Wilde, tries to spend more time with her best friend’s family and the kids at school then be at home with her father.  

“I think that people fall into those same loops,” Michael said when I questioned the ending’s significance. He explained that this hand keeps getting passed around since no one talks about it or to one other. Lack of transparency repeats the cycle generation after generation. The film explores human connection and emphasizes the need for open and honest communication about our struggles. It helps us and can teach others to escape their lives.