Leviticus

Although Jennifer Kent's debut film, The Babadook, brought international attention to the Australian horror scene, little would come of it until nearly a decade later. Talk to Me kicked off the wave we're currently riding, for better or for worse (mostly better). That's fortunate for writer/director Adrian Chiarella, for while the involvement of Mia Wasikowska (in her first film in three years) made sure it would get a wider release, the recent track record of filmmakers from Down Under ensured it would get some heat regardless. Add in a queer coming-of-age story and a heavy-handed allegory for the effects of conversion therapy and sanctioned hate, and you have the makings of a film certain to find an audience, even if it has to wait until streaming to do so.

Speaking of Talk to Me, Joe Bird plays our confusingly named protagonist, Naim, whose name I could have sworn was "Name" until the cries of his mother (Wasikowska) near the end enunciate it as two syllables. Naim has been sneaking around with Ryan (Stacy Clausen), breaking into abandoned buildings and making out (and more), fumbling their ways through finding themselves, sexually and otherwise. Their parents are part of the same insular Christian community (cult?), which Naim wields like a weapon in jealousy and hurt upon discovering Ryan making out with the preacher's son, Hunter (Jeremy Blewitt). A faith healer (Nicholas Hope) is brought in to perform a ritual "cleansing" them of their homosexuality in front of the whole congregation, including a bashful Naim. The crowd's chants turn to terror as both boys begin to writhe on the ground before being lifted into the air, their necks compressing and their eyes bulging, as if being strangled by some unseen force.

Unfortunately for them, that's just the beginning. Naim is disturbed by Ryan's vacant stare at service and school, and so begins to follow him. What he sees is even more upsetting. Ryan excitedly talking to and kissing the absence of a person beside him, before he's once again attacked. As Ryan runs away, he admonishes Naim to leave him alone, screaming as he runs away that his assailant looks like Naim. The implication is clear; the witch doctor's curse works by saddling you with a spirit that assumes the form of your crush/lover, then traumatizes you until even the thought of them is enough to trigger a breakdown.

Read my full review on Pop Culture Maniacs.