The terrifying horror movie Talk to Me has created an impact similar to its performance at film festivals. After gaining appreciation at various screenings, the story explores the afterlife, spiritual possession, and the mourning process.
The feature film was the directorial debut of Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, and it followed the story of the 17-year-old Mia, played by Sophie Wilde, two years after her mother’s death from an apparent suicide.
While the movie had a ceramic hand that allowed people to see lost souls, its ending left the audience confused. The hand is said to be a mysterious prop that serves the embalmed hand of a powerful medium, and it’s used to conjure spirits.
Towards the end of the movie, the hand used by Mia has been left to the audience’s perception to guess whether it’s the same or not by the makers of the movie. “We just want for people to have their own interpretations and be able to have that conversation,” said co-director Danny Philippou.
What Happens at the End of Talk to Me?
Throughout the movie, Mia has dark thoughts due to the death of her mother and sees dark spirits as a result, which manipulate her into doing terrible things. All this resulted in her stabbing her father in the neck with a pair of scissors.
Mia does not stop here as she is later encouraged to kill her friend Riley to set him free from his own demons. It is revealed that was the mother’s spirit that encourages her to continue using the hand in an attempt to “close the door” and free Riley from his possession.
To do the same, she visits his hospital, sticks Riley in a wheelchair, and wheels him to a nearby highway into oncoming traffic. Jade arrives just in time to save Riley from Mia, who is about to kill her. However, Mia sacrifices herself by getting hit by a car. Mia dies at the end as she becomes one of the lost spirits attracted to the embalmed hand.
What Happens to Riley at the End of Talk to Me?
Riley, played by Alexandra Jensen, was Mia’s best friend. He became possessed after Mia forced him to stay connected to what she believed was her mother’s spirit. Her paranoia increases until she attempts to kill her friend Riley, who she hallucinates as a decaying old man.
Later, as he starts to bash his head, pulling out his eyeball, everyone gets desperate to blow out the candle. It can be said that he might just have rejected the invader. Mia’s selflessness in saving her friend sparks questions about both her motives and the true intentions of the spirits. Whatever the true reason, Riley does get back to normal by the end of the movie.
Is It the Same Hand at the End of Talk to Me?
The movie ends with Mia being on the other end of an embalmed hand, making contact with people at a party in Europe. The co-writer Danny Philippou explained why he shot the scene. “We wanted it to end up in Greece. We’re in Greece at the end,” he said.
While the hand is the same as what Mia used earlier in the movie is left up to the audience’s perception as the makers deliberately planned the ending of the movie on that note.
“We just want for people to have their own interpretations and be able to have that conversation. But all the clues are there. Everything’s planted, but we really don’t want to spell things–spell anything –out,” said one-half of the twin directors revealing it was left for the audience to understand.
What Is the Meaning Behind Talk to Me Movie?
Directed by Australian twin brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, the movie metaphorically explored the idea of addiction and how grief can lead to self-destructive behavior. It shows the consequences of playing with spirits and the manipulation of evil spirits, highlighting that not every lost soul is kind, as Mia’s actions mirror those of her mother.
All of the events that lead to a cycle of trauma and addiction become apparent as the specters of depression, suicide, and how they continue to haunt families, with the potential to turn the living into ghosts.
Is Riley Saved at the End of Talk to Me?
Following the events with Mia, he repeatedly smacks his head with a sickening crack before trying to pull his own eye out of his head. Riley is alive and ends up severely injured and nonresponsive in the hospital towards the end of the movie.
Did Jade Push Mia into Traffic?
While Mia planned to push Riley into the hospital to set him free, Jade came to the rescue in the nick of time. He pushes Mia, and she dies after getting right into traffic. Her spirit becomes one of the lost souls connected to the embalmed hand by the end of the movie.
With all that, a sequel to The End of Talk to Me has been announced and was confirmed shortly after the theatrical release of the first movie.
Talk to Me is currently petrifying audiences in theaters and is available for purchase on digital outlets for $19.99.
The director-brother duo Danny and Michael Philippou said they have a giant “mythology Bible” about the hand and might plan for a trilogy.
Do you think the sequel will follow the same events as the first movie? Let us know in the comments.