The Phone Call

Hawkins plays a volunteer helpline counselor who regularly offers a listening ear and emotional support for troubled souls. One day, she gets a call from a lonely old man who ever-so-gradually reveals what's bothering him (Jim Broadbent). As the call goes on, the clock on the wall ticks by, indicating the limited time she may have to avert whatever crisis he's phoned in to report.

As the suspense mounts, the conversation gets increasingly personal, suggesting the possibility that perhaps the Good Samaritan could also use some advice. The ending, while bittersweet, seemed a bit manipulative to me, but Hawkins' performance is worth the watch.

'THE PHONE CALL': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A 20 minute British short film; which was nominated for an Academy Award, for Best Live Action Short Film, at the upcoming 87th Academy Awards. It stars Sally Hawkins as the dedicated employee of a crisis hotline center, who receives a disturbing phone call from a suicidal caller. She desperately tries to save him. It was directed by Mat Kirkby and written by Kirkby and James Lucas. The short costars Edward Hogg and the voice of Jim Broadbent. I found it to be short (of course) but still effectively moving.

Hawkins plays Heather; a rather shy woman, who works as a helpline call center counselor. One day she receives a distressing call; from a man (Broadbent) who sounds extremely depressed. The caller also (eventually) tells her he's swallowed a large amount of pills. Heather tries her hardest to find out who he is, and where he's at, in order to save him.

The film is pretty depressing, and not for everyone, but I also found it to be really inspiring; it definitely takes the viewer through a lot of different emotions. It's also surprising how effectively suspenseful it is; I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out. Kirkby co-wrote a pretty insightful and moving script, and he does an even more impressive job bringing it to life. What's most impressive about the short is Hawkin's performance though; too bad they don't give out Oscars for acting in short films!

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A beautiful crafted short film about two lives dominated by fragility.

A young woman working at helpline call center.

A call.

A venerable man , depressed, regreting the loss of his wife, decides to end his life. Her effort to save him with all the energy. The dialogue defining, moment by moment, both characters. A simple story about change of a life , memories of past, last dialogue and regrets.

A strange scene and a profound inspired end , fair legacy of john. And profound admirable performance of Sally Hawkins.

A wise game of emotions and the gentle veil of melancholia. In short, just a pure gem , honest testimony about essential connections between people.

The wonderful and marvelous Sally Hawkins has accomplished another extraordinary performance, and with the help of an arresting verbal performance by Jim Broadbent. Great directing and writing. A most wonderfully done story by gifted people. So glad I saw this, and its time to track down more Sally Hawkins films.

"The Phone Call" is set at a crisis hotline center. Heather begins her shift by receiving a phone call from a man who is depressed and has taken an overdose of antidepressants. She spends most of the film trying to connect with the guy and determine where he is so that she can send help. Ultimately, it has a super-depressing ending and is not a film most folks would enjoy. While the film is definitely NOT a feel-good film, it has some excellent acting by Sally Hawkins as Heather--and her ability to emote and make the most of scenes where she is essentially acting alone are terrific. Plus, it's interesting to note that the very talented actor, Jim Broadbent, plays the suicidal man. You never see him in the film, but his voice is quite recognizable, as he has a ton of terrific films to his credit.

UPDATE: I was a bit surprised by this, but "The Phone Call" won the Oscar. Congratulations.