They Talk (2021) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A sound engineer follows voices attributed to the dead while the film preserves uncertainty between supernatural communication, psychological disturbance, and manipulation.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

Voices In The Woods

A documentary crew investigates a forgotten patriotic martyr in the woods. Technical problems become disturbing when unexplained voices appear in the recordings.

Key Events

• Martyr Documentary Begins — A documentary crew films a forgotten patriotic martyr reportedly discovered and killed by soldiers. Location: The woods
• Production Problems — Noisy branches, poor sound, and disagreements disrupt the documentary production. Location: The woods
• The Unexplained Voice — The crew discovers an unexplained voice in their recordings. Location: The woods
• Interference Dispute — The sound engineer rejects interference and recording-card failure as explanations. Location: The filming site
• Repeated Voice Messages — Several voices address the sound engineer and urge him to keep a secret, return, and listen. Location: The filming site

Warnings From The Dead

The sound engineer consults Prof. Hasegawa about voices believed to come from the dead. Hasegawa describes their rarity and danger.

Key Events

• Repeated Voice Messages — Several voices address the sound engineer and urge him to keep a secret, return, and listen. Location: The filming site
• Consulting Hasegawa — The sound engineer brings the recordings to Prof. Hasegawa for analysis. Characters: Prof. Hasegawa Location: Prof. Hasegawa's consultation setting
• Voices Of The Dead — Prof. Hasegawa explains that voices believed to come from the dead are rare and dangerous. Characters: Prof. Hasegawa Location: Prof. Hasegawa's consultation setting
• A Grieving Parent's Recognition — Hasegawa cites a message recognized by a grieving parent as a dead child's voice. Characters: Prof. Hasegawa Location: Prof. Hasegawa's consultation setting
• Childhood Knowledge — The voices demonstrate knowledge of the sound engineer's childhood. Location: The filming site

The Orphanage Memory

The voices reveal childhood knowledge and direct the sound engineer to an abandoned orphanage. Evidence there connects the mystery to two lost childhood companions.

Key Events

• Childhood Knowledge — The voices demonstrate knowledge of the sound engineer's childhood. Location: The filming site
• False Hospital Lead — The crew realizes that a supposed hospital is actually an abandoned orphanage. Location: The documentary location
• Return To The Orphanage — The messages direct the sound engineer toward the abandoned orphanage. Location: The abandoned orphanage
• Evidence Of The Past — The sound engineer finds evidence connected to his painful childhood past. Location: The abandoned orphanage
• The Protective Girl — His memories involve a protective girl taken away by her adoptive parents. Location: The abandoned orphanage
• The Violent Boy — The voices connect the past to a violent boy who later disappeared. Location: The abandoned orphanage

The Boy Who Disappeared

The messages suggest that the violent boy died at the orphanage and is attempting to communicate. The sound engineer becomes increasingly consumed by the voices.

Key Events

• The Violent Boy — The voices connect the past to a violent boy who later disappeared. Location: The abandoned orphanage
• The Boy's Apparent Death — The voices suggest that the boy died at the orphanage and now seeks communication. Location: The abandoned orphanage
• Warning Of Manipulation — A woman close to the sound engineer warns that unknown people may be manipulating him. Location: An unspecified interior
• The Missing Husband Claim — He argues that a pregnant woman only wants help contacting her missing husband. Location: An unspecified interior

Listening Without Answers

A warning about manipulation intensifies the conflict, and the voices overwhelm the sound engineer, seriously injuring him. In the hospital, the recordings continue while the supernatural explanation remains unresolved.

Key Events

• The Missing Husband Claim — He argues that a pregnant woman only wants help contacting her missing husband. Location: An unspecified interior
• Voices Overwhelm Him — The voices overwhelm the sound engineer during a confrontation, causing serious injury. Location: An unspecified interior
• Emergency Hospital Visit — The woman takes the injured sound engineer to a hospital, where he tries to contact Hasegawa. Characters: Prof. Hasegawa Location: The hospital
• Many Dead Voices — He admits recording many voices belonging to the dead, but the woman remains skeptical. Location: The hospital
• The Final Call — The recordings call his name and identify the dead boy, leaving the mystery unresolved. Location: The hospital

Story Breakdown

• Documentary In The Woods — The crew begins filming a forgotten martyr while production difficulties establish an uneasy atmosphere.
  • Martyr Investigation — The crew films the story of a patriotic martyr reportedly discovered and killed by soldiers.
  • Technical Friction — Noisy branches, poor sound, and production disagreements complicate the shoot.
• First Recorded Voice — An unexplained voice appears in the recordings, challenging ordinary technical explanations.
  • Audio Anomaly — The recordings contain a voice the crew cannot explain.
  • Engineer Skepticism — The sound engineer rejects interference and a defective recording card as causes.
• Hasegawa's Investigation — Prof. Hasegawa provides a framework for understanding voices believed to originate from the dead.
  • Dangerous Phenomenon — Hasegawa explains that such recordings are rare, dangerous, and easily dismissed as interference.
  • Grieving Parent Example — He recalls a message recognized as the voice of a long-dead child.
• Orphanage And Childhood — The voices expose a connection between the sound engineer's childhood and an abandoned orphanage.
  • False Hospital — The crew discovers that the supposed hospital is actually an abandoned orphanage.
  • Lost Companions — The location recalls a protective girl taken away and a violent boy who disappeared.
• The Dead Boy's Message — The voices suggest that the missing violent boy died at the orphanage and now seeks communication.
  • Orphanage Evidence — The sound engineer finds evidence linked to his painful past.
  • Demand To Listen — The voices repeatedly ask him to keep a secret, return, and listen.
• Unresolved Final Threat — Warnings, injury, and continued recordings leave the sound engineer trapped in uncertainty.
  • Manipulation Warning — A woman close to him warns that unknown people may be manipulating him.
  • Hospital Ambiguity — After his injury, the recordings identify the dead boy while the explanation remains unresolved.

Directed by

Giorgio Bruno

Key Cast

• Jonathan Tufvesson — Alex Browlin
• Margaux Billard — Laura
• Sydney White — Emily
• Aciel Martinez Pol — Steve
• Hal Yamanouchi — Prof. Hasegawa