Steve Pulaski The Phone Call concerns Heather (Emily Hawkins), a shy, reclusive woman who works as a dispatcher for a crisis hotline. One day, she picks up the phone to hear an elderly man sobbing profusely on the other end. Being the professional that she is, she slowly talks to him and gets him to reveal his current situation. The man states he is "Stanley" (voiced by Jim Broadbent), a man who lost his wife Joan a few years ago and has taken a handful of antidepressants in order to cope with the mental pain. He doesn't want Heather to call an ambulance; he has made up his mind about ending his life and is content with his decision. He just wants companionship before he fades away.This is a somber short film that sneaks up on you with the way Stanley's undying love for his wife comes through, as he tells Heather stories and details about his wife, along with being so content about his extreme decision. Hawkins plays her character wonderfully, exuding shyness and fright, despite keeping her professionalism throughout the entire ordeal, in a profoundly affecting manner. Broadbent, though he is no more than a voice throughout the short, also provides one with spine-tingling urgency, as his voice captivates, giving off each emotion and vocal-quiver with a great deal of sincerity and believability. Directed Mat Kirkby's camera shoots all the right things, in addition, from close-ups on Heather's small, reserved movements or her notes on Stanley, filling the environment with simultaneously unsettling and tranquil vibes.The Phone Call instantly reminds me of Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, a short documentary which, like The Phone Call, won an Oscar for its respective category. That film showed the daily routines of several dispatchers at a crisis hotline, helping numerous souls, in this case, veterans, who were on the teetering edge of suicide and either needed companionship or some sort of guidance. Judging by these two beautifully-made shorts, the relationship dispatchers form with their callers through the means of a telephone is one that we will likely see develop and grow overtime, and if such an idea is carried out with the kind of heartbreaking realism and brutal honesty these two shorts have depicted, I'm all for it.Starring: Emily Hawkins and Jim Broadbent. Directed by: Mat Kirkby.

Robert Reynolds This short won the Academy Award for Live Action Short. There will be mild spoilers ahead:This short, in some ways, is a bit predictable, but it's so well made, it doesn't matter that you can figure out what will happen (for the most part, as there are one or two surprises) ahead of time.Sally Hawkins plays Heather, a crisis hot-line operator. She's shown reading at the start of the short, as she waits to go to work and then seen arriving at work, greeting a co-worker already on a line. The meat of the short begins when she takes a call.On the line is "John" (actually Stan) who is voiced by Jim Broadbent. Broadbent never appears on camera, being a disembodied voice. His performance is quite good and very convincing. He's a despondent and suicidal man. Heather, of course, tries to get information out of him while trying to get him to change his mind. The bulk of the short consists of Heather talking to "John" and realizing that he's seriously intending on dying and there's nothing she can do about this to prevent it.During the course of their conversation, the two discover some commonalities and "John" tells her his name is Stan. He finds out she's single and alone, which surprises him and he encourages her to go out more. The two more or less bond in a surprisingly short time.The ending is very nicely done and a bit surprising. One of the most remarkable things about this short is its cast, given that Broadbent has won an Oscar and Hawkins has been nominated. Their performances are marvelous and the other two performers are quite good as well in smaller roles. The elements are all well done and the short deservedly won the Oscar a few days ago in a good year for shorts.This short is available for purchase online and is well worth checking out. Most highly recommended.

MartinHafer "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.

waltdoernte-826-80962 This incredible film just stays with you. I found myself thinking about the story, the characters for weeks after seeing it. For a film to stay in ones thoughts for as long as The Phone Call did is remarkable in today's era of throw away entertainment, but the fact that this was achieved in a short film format is utterly astounding. Heartfelt acting, a smart script, beautiful simplicity in the cinematography all come together perfectly. Only using Jim Broadbents voice and not showing him on screen was a masterful and audacious stroke. I hope the guys who made this have more that in store, the world could certainly use it....