Watch out Barbie and step aside Oppenheimer, AFF Investment Fund film Talk To Me has come to claim a place of its own in this year’s movie madness.
Following its successful premiere at the Closing Night Gala of the 2022 Adelaide Film Festival, the AFF Investment Fund and South Australian Film Corporation supported Causeway Films production went on to garner well-deserved world attention at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival — where it was picked up by indie giant A24 and released to the world this July. It has now exceeded expectations at the global box office, raking in over $10 million on its three-day opening weekend — more than double its $4.5 million production budget (Deadline).
Photo: Kristina Ceyton, Danny Philippou, Mat Kesting, Michael Philippou and Sam Jennings at the premiere of Talk To Me, Adelaide Film Festival Closing Night Gala 2022
The directors, Adelaide-born twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, spent over a decade refining their craft on their popular YouTube channel RackaRacka — where they gained a following of more than 6.8 million people and released videos that have been watched over 1.5 billion times.
Now they’re taking on the big screen in their directorial debut.
Talk To Me is a gut-wrenching feast for die-hard horror lovers with critics pronouncing it this year’s “biggest horror movie” (Vulture). The YouTube sensations turned filmmakers have a deep understanding of pop culture and horror which has enabled them to produce what The Guardian has called, “an Evil Dead for the Snapchat generation”.
While the supernatural elements in Talk To Me might attract the most attention, it’s the grounded aspects that truly leave an impact. Despite its overarching paranormal theme, the Philippou brothers aim to tell a story about adolescent anxiety, loneliness and seeking escape through illicit practices. Avoiding horror clichés, and supported by Sophie Wilde’s ground-breaking performance, Talk To Me cleverly entertains its audience, keeping them at the edge of their seats.
Having spent only one weekend so far in global cinemas, Talk To Me has become the highest-rated horror film of 2023 — officially certified as ‘Fresh’ on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 94% from 145 reviews, and a 7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. The duo’s tremendous talent steers them towards a major career as they look forward to delivering the new live-action Street Fighter film.
The Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF) redefines the role of film festivals by actively contributing to the creation of new work and presenting daring Australian screen productions. The success of Talk To Me calls for a moment of celebration of South Australian screen culture.
The Adelaide Film Festival is back this year for two weeks of movie mayhem from 18 – 29 October. Keep your eyes peeled for this year’s jump scares.
Talk To Me Reviews
★★★★
“Tense, stressful and savagely staged, this is a scarily good debut.”
Empire
★★★★
“An entertaining chiller that mixes shrieking horror and psychological nuance.”
The Guardian
“It is visceral and chaotic, proving itself as an immersive cinematic experience.”
Collider
“Another in a bumper crop of great films in theatrical release and my favourite horror movie of the year so far.”
Edgar Wright, Director.
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