Talk To Me
Overall Reaction:
I did read a few reviews before watching to learn more about it. I believe that the movie is commenting on grief and the process of working through it. I also believe it explores how grief can warp the person you are. I also believe it comments on power and how people can lose themselves in searching for something that they lost. Some of the characters get so addicted to that power to not feel pain or their grief or to avoid working through their issues, they lose sight of everything important around them. With Duckett at the beginning, the main little boy, and Mia herself. The characters get so caught up in that addictive feeling that they self-destruct to the point that they don’t even realize it. I think another part that they comment on for grief is if people don’t have healthy coping habits and/or a healthy support system, basically, people without the right access to important tools, fall apart and hurt themselves and the people around them. Mia was constantly chasing ghosts to bring back her mom, who was gone and wasn’t coming back. I fully believe, based on the design of how Rhea looked and the things she said from start to end, slowly getting more manipulative and violent, that she wasn’t Mia’s mom, but was representing Mia slowly losing herself to that grief.
Three Characters:
Rhea: She is the deceased mother of the main protagonist, Mia. She returns through the hand to haunt Mia. I believe she tries to appear helpful to Mia at first, and as Mia loses herself, the image of her mom, Rhea, warps with her into something more malevolent. Rhea’s actions are probably some of the most driving in the narrative because she is what motivates Mia to make the decisions she does. Mia chases after her mother time after time and does what she says. It is interesting because, according to my theory, while I think Rhea definitely cares about Mia, I believe that, by whatever magic is involved with the hand, it warps her, and she also cares about bringing people over to the afterlife. I think regret and the need to fix what she can to make up for what she did are her main motivations. I think outside the lens of a movie, I feel she would be interested in some kind of therapy or communications-themed or something to help loved ones. I also believe that the spirit could have started as Mia’s real mother, but warped into not her or was never her to begin with. I can see outside the lens of this movie to see ‘Rhea’ would be more interested in something like a pyramid scheme, something that seems helpful, but is actually for her own benefit.
Cole: Cole is the brother of Duckett, who is deceased. We see Cole at the beginning of the film and then towards the latter half of the film for not a lot of time at all. Duckett kept doing the hand thing, while Cole was strictly against it, came there to support his brother, was against using the hand, and gave Duckett’s old friends shit for not properly supporting Duckett. He isolates himself after the death of his brother, and after his brother stabbed him. He adds to the film as someone who knows the most about the hand; he is framed as the wise outsider character. Cole’s solution for saving Riley was that Riley was best off dying before the spirits got a hold of him. Cole doesn’t want anything to do with the hand after his brother’s lost and doesn’t seem to have a passion for anything, but he recommended that they destroy the hand. I think outside the interest of the film, he seems very outdoorsy, so some kind of camping or hiking solo retreats.
Riley: Riley is the little brother of Jade and also Mia’s friend. In the film, he serves as someone to save, the main big mystery that writes the problem in the narrative. Riley cares about fitting in and feeling safe, seen, and heard. He doesn’t like being treated like a child and wants to be apart of the group when they are having fun, like with the hand. The appeal of the fun and power he got obsessed with and wanted to so badly participate even though it would put him in danger. To be fair, he didn’t understand the complete risk, but he does show how ignorance and immaturity can be dangerous. Trying to fit in isn’t worth the pain most of the time. I think he definitely likes that fear and getting scared, so what would motivate them could be scare houses. Something a bit more outside of the box, since he has such a fear of sleeping alone when he gets scared, is some sort of weighted blanket or nightlight, or some manner of sleep aid to help. He definitely cares about his mom, sister, Mia, and his friends, so I can see him doing something towards the aid of helping others.
