Last Call

There are many things to admire about this movie: it looks good, the actors are believable in their roles, its limited locations are interesting, and the premise is intriguing. That the movie was filmed in one take, simultaneously in two locations, following two actors, is certainly an impressive technical feat.

Split screen movies can work. This one, often, does not. At times, the viewer struggles to get a sense of each character's setting or movements, and does not quite because the screen is, literally, cut off.

The fact that the movie was filmed in a single take is impressive, but it leaves the audience watching a lot of moments that would have been better edited out. Realism is not achieved by watching characters putter about. For instance, near the beginning, we get to watch Scott walk home from a bar and Beth go out to her car to search for a cell phone charger -- in real time. Whole minutes roll by, taking up valuable time in this 75-minute movie, where the story could be underway.

The actors' performances have some good moments, but overall, there is an ocean of pathos, pushed by voices that border on simpering. We get it, Scott is in crisis, Beth is "thrown in the deep end", trying to help him with limited skills, and heavy emotions arise during their collision. But the watery, bordering-on-crying voices go on so long, they are so one-note, they begin to grate and actually hamper the impact of the scene.

The music is well done. Particularly at the beginning, doing a great job of setting the tone for what we are about to see. As the movie progresses, the music suffers from the same abundance of pathos that weighs down the performances -- a little of the emotional music would go a long way. Here, it's wall-to-wall.

In the end, the actors and music director are wedging themselves into the workable spaces left by the filmmaker's central gimmick: filming in real-time, split screen, no cuts. It would have been very interesting to see what this film might have looked like without the gimmick, which would have provided the space needed by the actors and music.

But it's short! Gimmick is great but it gets old really fast.

From the art style and the lack of fanfare (I had to put the year in to even find the right movie on IMDb) I was expecting the typical low budget, high concept offering with a bit of promise, using amateurish actors to create an ok movie, that's ultimately instantly forgettable. THIS MOVIE IS NOT THAT.

The one take aesthetic and split screen cinematography works just perfectly to convey the urgency of a serendipitous conversation between a woman in the right/wrong place and a man with nowhere left to turn. The acting from Sarah Booth in particular is astonishing (never seen her in anything before this), the dialogue is realistic and the soundtrack fits the mood just right.

I've never seen anything like it, the closest I can think of right now is Locke with Tom Hardy, but this movie is so much better and more heartfelt than that. I'll be recommending it to everyone I know. 9/10. (And no I'm not a paid reviewer or have anything to do with the production, look at my other reviews!)

At a time where movies are so predictable, this movie breaks that barrier with this amazing continuous shot with a split screen. Your eyes can't stay off the screen because it's so gripping and poignant. Sarah Booth brings an emotional intensity that is so raw it's beautiful (but also painful) because she makes you feel every moment and every word she says. What a refreshing take on filming with a very real message that doesn't placate to the audience but just lays out a real and authentic story.

Last Call is a drama from Gavin Michael Booth presented in a split-screen format over real time across two long takes shot simultaneously. It's certainly a method of presentation I've never witnessed for an entire feature before and it's one I won't forget in a hurry. Last Call tells the story of Scott (Daved Wilkins), a bitterly alone man, who phones the suicide prevention hotline one night and ends up, through a misdial, speaking with Beth (Sarah Booth), a janitor of a local community college.

Last Call deals with such a sensitive subject matter such as suicide in an incredibly emotional and respectful manner, Gavin Michael Booth and Daved Wilkins writing a narrative that slowly reveals more to the audience and in doing so becomes more heart-breaking with each passing minute.

It's an ambitious film in its execution, Seth Wessel-Estes' cinematography a great asset to the film, keeping the audience with these two characters as they go through a phone call taht will change their lives. It took me a while to take to the split-screen approach but once I did I was captivated with the entire thing and how it would unfold. Adrian Ellis' score also adds another layer of emotion to proceedings.

At the forefront of Last Call lies to contrasting yet equally as impressive performances from Sarah Booth and Daved Wilkins. Booth in particular has the more demanding role and she showcases a fantastic range of emotions throughout, making her a character to reallt get behind. That doesn't mean Wilkins just sits back and lets Booth do all the work because there is much more to his performance than just sounding depressed, leading to Scott becoming a character you don't want to see any harm come to.

Sadly, many people take their own lives each year so raising awareness by any means necessary is important. Last Call is an incredibly relevant film for this reason and one that you should seek out.