Directors: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Starring: Sally Hawkins, and Billy Barratt
Movie Length: 1 hour 44 minutes
Talk to Me filmmaking duo of Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou are back in theaters with their second major screen release, Bring Her Back. While Talk to Me besieged many reviewers top ten horror films of 2022, anticipation was high for the sophomore offering. Adding to their arsenal is the return of the writing duo of Talk to Me writers Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman. The product of these talented individuals culminates in what amounts to a relentless, visceral experience that left me overwhelmed by the pace of events and their impressive impact.
While the film featured its share of violence and accompanying gore, it’s the method by which the events unfold that truly hold power. The Philippou brothers expertly craft an experience which roots the viewer in in a fully realized world where there are concrete rules of order. It’s when the boundaries of the seemingly mundane cross over into moments of unexpected horror, the movie truly flexes its muscles. The bits of violence are almost overwhelmingly impactful by breaking out in unexpected moments. While the incidents are certainly laced with gore, it is the juxtaposition with the otherwise normalized atmosphere that throttled this viewer.
Actors Sora Wong, portrays the younger sister, and Billy Barratt plays the protective older brother who goes out of his way to make his visually handicapped sibling believe that the world is a better place than it really is. Their father dies and the older brother is three months shy of his 18th birthday, so he’s unable to assume custody of his sister. Therefore, foster care is their only option. Once he reaches the age of 18, his viability as a caregiver is assessed by the courts and the decision will be made whether his sister can be released into his exclusive care.
Meanwhile, they are both placed with what can only be described as a peculiar woman. Having recently lost her own visually handicapped daughter to a pool drowning, the young girl seems to be a great match. The brother is basically a package deal with his sister and isn’t necessarily welcomed with the same level of enthusiasm. It immediately becomes vocalized by the foster mother, Laura, played by Sally Hawkins. This doesn’t seem to sit well with Laura, who is quite attached to the young girl.
Soon we are introduced to a non-communicative boy whose presence and conduct only gets worse as the film unravels. The foster parent is intent to divide the close relationship between brother and sister and incorporates some innovative methods to that end. It doesn’t take long to discover that their new caregiver is deranged and has nefarious intentions for the three children in her care. The score is dynamic and serves to amplify the accelerated pace of the movie. Viewers are provided several ‘what the Hell’ moments and it makes for some unexpected and bold choices. The only question is whether the foster mother’s nefarious intentions truly come to pass. The only impediment to her cause is the older brother, who’s able to piece together most of her intentions and mounts an admirable effort to combat her sinister plans.
We truly care about these characters and the turmoil and physical personification of aggressive action propel the movie forward with disquieting intent. Some lines are crossed that are truly unexpected and the outcome is definitely not your typical happy, Hollywood ending.
It’s this fearlessness that fueled Talk to Me and continues forging both filmmaker’s path with Bring Her Back. This will undoubtedly earn its way into many of the year’s top ten lists, including mine.
Michael’s rating: Bring Her Back earns a very solid 8.75/10
Bring Her Back is now in theaters.
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