Ciara (Nina Holland-Smith) is a young woman going through a life-changing experience, losing her chance at motherhood due to complications in utero. She seems to simply exist at her sister’s home while she tries to get her life back on track. Expressing difficulty finding a new job and a desire to be ‘useful’ again, a friend of Ciara’s sister’s lover, Robin (Neizan Fernandez), offers her a gig. There is a catch: It’s not legal or safe. She’ll be compensated well, however.
Unwilling to lay about the house any longer, Ciara accepts. She meets Robin at a shady warehouse and picks up the package: A gun and ammunition. The recipient is unexpected and well-known to Robin. Joseph Skinner (Grahame Edwards), a writer of crime thrillers, awaits the two gun runners at his home. The plot thickens when a conflict between Skinner and the police comes to a head, and the gun runners are forced to wait for Skinner’s payment.
Talking to Ghosts bills itself as a thriller, but waiting for thrills that never come means it should be sold more as a drama. As a thriller, it lacks intriguing film work, compelling acting, or clear stakes. It feels as though there is a thriller happening just out of view as Robin and Ciara chat with each other in cars or at a stranger’s house, especially as the dramatic conclusion feels hasty and confusing. The camera, too, uses a super-tight zoom through the entire film, making it feel more like a television drama than a psychological thriller feature film.
These issues aside, patrons looking for a dramatic crime story focused more on conversation than action will enjoy this movie. The plot will be disappointing for those looking for a psychological thriller but the characterization will be compelling for those who enjoy interpersonal drama. Strong Optional Purchase.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
Talking to Ghosts would fit best among interpersonal dramas.
What type of film series could use this title?
Film series about women in crime stories would be an excellent fit for Talking to Ghosts.