“Once you’re on set, on a regular basis feels such as you simply received again from a battle… however it’s the most effective factor ever.”
Welcome to Commentary Commentary, the place we sit and take heed to filmmakers speak about their work, then share probably the most attention-grabbing elements. On this version, Rob Hunter revisits one among 2023’s finest horror movies with the Speak to Me commentary.
There are nice horror movies launched yearly, however 2024 is already shaping up to be one of the greats with gems like Exhuma, The First Omen, and Infested delivering recent thrills. The approaching months are wanting even brighter with extremely anticipated releases like Longlegs, Cuckoo, Heretic, and extra. It’s in that spirit that we’re wanting again at one among final yr’s finest horror films and giving a take heed to its commentary.
Talk to Me is a possession movie that finds an especially distinctive angle on the trope whereas additionally delivering enjoyable scares, creepy beats, and a few gory thrills. The filmmakers are presently engaged on a sequel, so we determined to provide a take heed to their commentary observe exploring the story, manufacturing, and launch.
Now preserve studying to see what I heard on the commentary for…
Speak to Me (2023)
Commentators: Danny Philippou (co-director/co-writer), Michael Philippou (co-director)
1. They open the observe saying that they’re not going to speak in regards to the movie’s themes or what it means as they like to go away such issues as much as viewer interpretation.
2. They credit score Causeway Movies for being an enormous assist from the script-stage ahead, including that “they helped us take it out to market and get rejected by each Hollywood studio.” Apparently one of many massive studios did say sure, “however they wished to vary the movie an excessive amount of.” They wished the movie to clarify the hand’s powers and supply extra particulars behind what it might probably do, why it might probably do it, and the way.
3. The opening monitoring shot took ten takes — and ten smashed doorways — and was the very very last thing they shot for the movie.
4. Sia gave them “Chandelier” at a 75% low cost as she’s from Adelaide, similar to the brothers. They tried to get “Inexperienced Gentle” by Lorde, however they have been turned down.
5. The overhead shot of the dying kangaroo within the street is “essential… a reoccurring theme,” however they refuse to elaborate. (However the overhead shot at 1:27:05 is clearly associated.
6. One of many teenagers is seen utilizing an iPhone, and so they needed to get permission from Apple. Equally, additionally they received permission to make use of Snapchat. Each have been important, of their eyes, as they wished the movie to really feel genuine to youngsters/younger individuals.
7. They gave each head of division a “foot down,” mainly a card they may pull once they felt very strongly that one thing needs to be a sure approach. The costume designer used hers concerning Mia’s (Sophie Wilde) yellow-ish sweater.
8. They might play Uno day by day with solid and crew, and the losers must do an ungainly social dare which generally included deliberately messing up a take.
9. Apparently the typical objective on a movie is to shoot 1.5 to 2 minutes (of the completed movie) per day, however they have been usually averaging eight. Each of those numbers really feel remarkably low to me, however I additionally don’t perceive how films price a lot to make within the first place.
10. The actor who performs the primary ghost, who we see for under a second at 19:19, traveled from the inland, quarantine for 3 days, seem on set for roughly fifteen minutes, fly dwelling and quarantine for 3 extra days. “We simply favored the look of him a lot… we’re very particular about our demons.” Would possibly simply be a semantics difficulty, however demons and ghosts are totally different, no? Curious.
11. They draw a distinction between script and display in the case of intentions. “Once you’re writing a script, there’s issues it’s important to sort of spell out to make sense of characters and moments, however a variety of that may be conveyed via seems, glances, and audio environment.” Visuals can be utilized in a similar way, however the sounds of a movie are each bit as essential on this regard.
12. Early variations of the hand included one which was connected to a board, however observe runs made it clear it wanted to be extra versatile and simple to deal with. The artist who finalized the hand design accomplished it and instantly give up. They’re unsure why, though there have been apparently rumors that one thing disturbed him. They made 5 copies as they anticipated the hand to interrupt, however it by no means did.
13. The beat with Daniel (Otis Dhanji) sloppy kissing the canine was executed utilizing a puppet head — for the canine, not Otis — after which comped it along with a shot of the canine licking a snack.
14. Riley’s (Joe Fowl) possession scene is an emotionally draining one, to the purpose that Fowl would wish time each earlier than and after, away from the solid and crew, to gather himself. It was additionally bodily draining, for apparent causes.
15. They acknowledge that eye stuff managed with visible results usually seems a bit off, so that they went sensible for Riley’s eye harm scene. “We needed to construct Joe’s face on high of his face, so he may really attain in and pull out the eyeball.” It’s one of many extra graphic scenes within the movie, however “in case you noticed our YouTube channel you realize we will go so much additional.” They have been continuously conscious of discovering the steadiness in having a dramatic horror movie with out going overboard with gore. Takes every kind!
16. The overhead shot of the sink at 44:12 the place Mia’s washing her palms options a number of bloody smudges which have which means. “What number of blood drops, that’s all there for a cause that we received’t speak about.” There’s additionally one thing of notice concerning Mia’s nail polish. They preserve doing this after which not explaining something.
17. There was initially an extended scene of Mia and her father Max (Marcus Johnson) arguing after Riley’s incident, however they minimize it regardless of loving the work by each actors. Mia and her dad are two individuals unable to attach, and arguing — caring sufficient to actually argue — reveals a connection of some variety.
18. The transition shot exhibiting Mia in mattress, turning, and strolling into Daniel’s arms was executed together with her standing up whereas individuals held Daniel’s prosthetic leg in place from above.
19. They drew inspiration from Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf (1968) so far as having characters look immediately into the digicam. Folks preserve pondering it’s drawn extra from Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017), however whereas it’s not, “that’s not a foul film” to be in comparison with.
20. The sequence the place Mia goes to hell was initially two and a half minutes lengthy. “We shot a lot violent stuff, it felt too far.” They determined to simply present it in flashes and glimpses, which made their producers completely satisfied as a few of the stuff in all probability wouldn’t have handed the censor board. The scenes have been filmed extensive with a stand-in for Fowl in order to not traumatize him, after which close-ups the subsequent day with a extra restrained ensemble.
21. They solely had a couple of days of the shoot the place they’d entry to a two digicam setup, so that they saved it for scenes just like the emotional scene between Mis and her father as he reads her mom’s suicide notice. They felt some stress to reserve it for extra action-oriented sequences, however the twin performances, every feeding off the opposite, was extra essential to them.
22. The font used for the opening/finish credit matches Duckett’s (Sunny Johnson) bag — Duckett being the child who kills himself at first.
Greatest in Context-Free Commentary
“We’re not gonna speak in gradual movement.”
“Take a breath, Danny.”
“Dad and mom wouldn’t let their youngsters hang around with us as a result of we have been actually aggressive kids.”
“That’s the one lens flare within the movie.”
“Once you’re on set, on a regular basis feels such as you simply received again from a battle… however it’s the most effective factor ever.”
“I’m so sorry if this was a horrible, shitty fucking commentary.”
Last Ideas
Holy hell, do these guys speak quick and furiously. Whereas some commentaries see gaps ranging as much as a minute or extra, the Philippou brothers don’t depart even a single second of useless air. It makes for a enjoyable hear even in case you sometimes get misplaced in what they’re speaking about. Speak to Me stays a terrific chiller too, with hanging visuals and spooky beats that come throughout even with the commentary enjoying. I’m unsure I agree with their selection to go away themes and such off the desk — a commentary observe is the precise place to debate them — however I respect the need to let viewers determine issues out for themselves. Nice movie, nice commentary.
Learn extra Commentary Commentary from the archives.
Associated Subjects: Commentary Commentary, Horror, Talk To Me
