‘Talk to Me’: A Thanksgiving Gratitude

Not too long ago, I was fortunate to see the film Talk to Me. Because I’m as self-centered as I am full of appreciation, I’m tying Thanksgiving, an emotionally charged celebration rooted in colonization by whites, to a movie depicting the consequences of exploiting a little-understood people–but also, me and my feelings. In Talk to Me, a troop of teenagers comes into possession (pun definitely intended) of a hand statue that allows them to communicate with ghosts and invite them into their bodies. Naturally, they make it all a big party and put that shit on YouTube. As Joss, co-caretaker of the hand, scoffs, “Apparently it was the hand of someone who could connect with the dead, right, so everyone around him thought, let’s just cut his hand off. White people shit, man.”

A large plot point in the film is Mia, the main character, losing her mother Rhea to an overdose of sleeping pills. As someone who struggled with suicidal ideation when I was younger, I empathize with Rhea; she leaves a suicide note stating her belief that she finally feels hope and that the family would be better off without her. Luckily for me, I have two amazing sisters whom I knew would be sad if I died. Many years of happy pills and therapy and growth later, I have come to a better place. I still falter sometimes, no longer thinking of ending things, but I’m sometimes prone to bouts of self-hatred and intrusive thoughts of cutting myself. It’s nothing I would actually act on, but a couple weeks ago I had a wake-up call (literally) during a phone appointment with my counselor. I was hysterically crying and so distraught that even after asking me multiple times if I was going to be safe when we hung up, she called the police to come check on me.

On to the gratitude part. A big contributor to depression is suffering in silence. I hid my issues for years before finally saying something and seeking treatment. My family has always been very supportive, but a year and a half ago I moved to Kentucky from California, so it’s hard to keep in touch. The three-hour time difference doesn’t help. I haven’t made many friends here, but I’ve become close to a handful of coworkers. I’m fortunate to work with lots of amazing people. (Seriously, ya’ll, I love these folks!) It was with three of them that I saw Talk to Me. From left to right, Jaclyn, Hillary, Terra, and me:

We had dinner (Hillary’s an amazing cook!), chatted, and played a card game called Hella Awkward, the point of which is to disclose extremely personal things to the other players. I was blabbing all kinds of stuff to them, and they listened. It’s so validating to have a circle of friends to confide in and laugh with (and most importantly, watch horror movies with!). Even at work, I’m able to goof around and joke with everyone. I’ve been so repressed for so long, it’s all coming out.

Continuing with more thankfulness, I’m big time in love with Talk to Me. It was shocking and creepy and funny and thought-provoking. The performances are great, especially by Sophie Wilde as Mia. And if you’ve made it this far, pal, a big thank you to you! Thanks for letting me talk to you.