Esquire Philippines sits down with Danny and Michael Philippou, the directors of Bring Her Back (2025) and Talk to Me (2022). The Australian supernatural horror film is coming to Philippine cinemas on July 16. #EsquirePHVideo
00:00She had said that she's glad that she can't see because she doesn't have to see the ugly things in the world.
00:06And that just became a through line for the entire of the film.
00:22This film was written and developed at the same time as Talk to Me.
00:26And we were going through, you know, a loss at the time.
00:31And because they were built up at the same time, they share the same sort of DNA.
00:35And they feel like brother-sister films to me.
00:38So I think that's probably one of the main reasons why.
00:40Yeah, and I think we hadn't fully got it out of our system, the grief.
00:44So a second movie and diving more into the more personal lens.
00:56I come up with it with my co-writer, Bill Hinsman.
01:01And we just go down the rabbit hole and start researching the occult and talking to strange people that practice in the occult and that write spell books.
01:09And you just get inspired by hearing these people talk about it.
01:12And you always grab little bits and pieces from parts that freak you out.
01:16And you build your own lore and your own mythology and your own cult.
01:20And it's a really, you know, a really special part of the process.
01:28There is a small thing that connects them.
01:30But it's, yeah, some people will pick it up.
01:32A lot of people won't.
01:33It's like the whole film is playing with perception and different points of views.
01:45And different eyes see different things.
01:48And that was like a thematic thing that tied all the way through the film.
01:52And while researching the film, one of the first inspirations was talking to a friend's non-sided sister.
01:59And, like, she had said that she's glad that she can't see because she doesn't have to see the ugly things in the world.
02:07And that just became a through line for the entire of the film.
02:11And it's so much to do with truth and lies and perception.
02:16So the idea of Andy, he is Sora's eyes.
02:20She needs to trust him completely.
02:21And Laura's got a front that she's putting on.
02:25But there's something else underneath that she can't see.
