The Phone Call (2014)

The Phone Call Review

The Phone Call a 2014 live-action short film which was nominated and won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. It is a flawed, but moving flick.

It follows a woman working as a crisis hotline councilor as she tries to dissuade a distraught caller from committing suicide. Needless to say, this movie deals with the darkest of subjects and how it deals with it is not in the most effective way possible. The first half was excellent, but the second one was weak.

The performances from Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent are fantastic. Both are incredibly well cast and they fitted these roles so well. These two are among the most underrated actors of their respective generations and it was wonderful seeing them working together on this project.

The movie is very touching and the dialogue is quite realistic. You can believe that these two are real people, especially the man. Every single one of his lines was potent and powerful. The film is cheaply made, but it worked within the limited confines of this story. On the other end of the spectrum, the third act did not work for me because it included an overly emotional and on-the-nose score and a romantic subplot that was underutilized.

The Phone Call is a solid Oscar winner that deals with a very tough subject matter mostly effectively. The acting performances are especially worthy of praise. It’s a shame that the third act is so mediocre, though.

My Rating – 4