The Booth

I was a bit apprehensive before watching this; I'm not a fan of watching TV on the web so I waited for the entire set of 'webisodes' to be broadcast on FX. I must say I have been rewarded with one of the most thought provoking and challenging TV programmes in quite some time. Xander Berkeley has been perfectly cast as 'The Man' his performance is truly exceptional as are all the supporting actors. I had assumed that part of the script had been improvised due to the naturalistic way the performances are delivered, I am assured that this is not the case. There is no action as all the 'tasks' are only spoken of in retrospect or the moral challenge the person asking faces. Is 'The Man' God or is he the Devil ? As the series progresses you flip between one or the other. A series that is well worth watching and hopefully we will get a series 2; however, the moral of this story is : be careful what you wish for...

Myself, I'm more into Hollywood produced comedies or sci-fi movies, but watching first five minutes of this actually dragged me in. So, to everyone that is expecting something else than a psychological drama-series full of riddles, i would not recommend it. To everyone else, if you're into psychological stories, this is a very interesting one. It challenges an individual to consider their moral norms. How far would you go? I'm not very acquainted with this genre, but unlike some films, it doesn't repel or scare me. But you still won't watch it just for fun. So the bottom line is, a perfect mixture of a psychological drama and a sci-fi movie or a thriller.

A man sits in a diner at 'The Booth at the End'. He is visited by people who want something. He creates the opportunity for them upon them taking on the task he sets them. They each return to him to discuss their progress. "That's the Deal"!

The show is filmed entirely in one location and the episodes last less than 4 minutes each. Yet every time an episode ends it feels like a cliff hanger. The impressive thing may be in how the script is laid out and how tightly it is written. 'The Man' whether he's in control of the conversation or not is interested in the finer details and we therefore get into the real mindset of the characters and are taken to a level that we may never of thought about asking ourselves. The really impressive thing is that each episode is never shot the same way twice, its not that they don't use the same camera angle in different episodes, its more about the style and how each new piece of the puzzle comes to affect the way you look at the show as a whole.

To fully understand the genius of the show I can only recommend that you watch it. It needs patience and an open mind to start with. If you are willing to give it that, then be prepared to be intrigued!

It happens once in a year for me, I think. To stumble upon something that I know I will cherish for as long as I am capable of memories.

"The Booth at the End" is a thought-provoking, unbelievably engaging, and convincingly performed series of short episodes, all filmed at a booth in a diner. I read in one of the comments how the person thought this setting could never achieve the level of engagement it did, but was (fortunately!) mistaken. This might be the first science-fiction film/series in which I truly did not want to find out the 'secret' behind the story. It is an allegory of life, of flawed human nature, but also of occasional glimpses at divinity in ourselves, and it is as such that it ought to remain. Honestly a wonderful piece, both with respect to writing and production.

Also, I would like to commend Xander Berkeley for his brilliant performance. So heartfelt, on the verge between reality and fantasy, hell and heaven.

I do hope I will have the opportunity to come across more projects of this kind in the future.

Out of all my years of movie watching this is one film that is incomparable to any other. The whole movie revolves around one man in one booth. Xander does an amazing job of being the mysterious and enticing man in the booth. The people who visit him asking him for favours are very realistic and each have their own underlying problem. The movie progresses at a perfect pace and eventually brings everything together in a giant knot of pure intensity. The ending is a shocker, it let my brother and me with our jaws dropped and exclamations of "What did he just say?" And remember the whole movie takes place in a booth! Overall it was an amazing and vastly underrated movie. A must see in my book. Not soon to be forgotten.