Content warning: The following story contains spoilers for “Talk to Me” and references to suicide as depicted in the film.
The new A24 horror movie, “Talk to Me,” might just be the scariest film of the year so far. The new movie, directed by Danny and Michael Philippou from a script by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, follows a group of Australian teenagers who discover they can speak to spirits by using an embalmed hand. Mia (Sophie Wilde), whose mom recently died, is obsessed with doing it, while her best friend, Jade (Alexandra Jensen), is much more apprehensive. When they use the hand to hold a séance at Jade’s house, her little brother, Riley (Joe Bird), gets involved, with disastrous, gory consequences.
Through the end of the movie, Mia tries desperately to save Riley as the spirits start to slip into her everyday life. It all leads to a thrilling, terrifying conclusion. But if the “Talk to Me” ending had you a little confused, we’re breaking it down ahead.
“Talk to Me” Ending Explained
After Riley takes part in the séance, he can’t stop beating himself up and trying to die. At first, it seems that an evil spirit has taken over his body and is forcing him to do this, but when Mia communes with a spirit, she realizes that Riley’s spirit is trapped in the underworld and is being constantly tormented. The pain is so great that he wants to die.
Back at her house, Mia learns from her father that her mother died by suicide and left a note. In her room, the spirit of Mia’s mother tells Mia that her father is an impostor and that she needs to kill Riley, ultimately, to set him free. Her mother promises she can take care of Riley’s spirit then. Mia hallucinates that she’s being attacked by a spirit and accidentally stabs her father in the neck.
At the hospital, Mia tricks Jade into leaving Riley’s room so she can kidnap him and push him onto the highway. Earlier in the movie, Mia and Riley saw a dying kangaroo in that same spot on the highway that Riley wanted her to put out of its misery, but she couldn’t. The movie implies that it might be the spirit of the kangaroo that’s terrorizing Mia and Riley now.
Jade rushes to stop Mia, and it’s unclear if Jade pushes Mia, or if Mia decides to sacrifice herself, but she ends up being the one hit by the car. We see her walking through a hospital, where Riley and her dad have both healed and are heading home. No one can hear or see her. Then we see more high schoolers who’ve taken possession of the hand and use it to talk to Mia’s spirit.
Ultimately, Mia dying was the sacrifice that the spirits required, so they let Riley go free. The spirit that was her mother was actually some malignant force that just wanted to cause pain and preyed on Mia’s grief. By dying, she saved them all.
“Talk to Me” is in theaters now.
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