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Last Call (2019) - [7/10]
Wow. This film was absolutely remarkable. I went into Last Call (2019) expecting the worst, and got the best short film I think I've seen (definitely a 9/10). It is incredibly emotional, tense, as well as artistic. The one-shot take was not used as a gimmick (like I feared it would going into the film) but, enhanced the viewing experience. The split screen composition of the film was a bit unique in the beginning of the film, (just because we've never really seen that before) but it made absolute sense. Gavin Michael Booth created an extraordinary short, but I don't review short films. I review features. So, I am going to treat this review (and film) as if it were a feature film.
With that being said, let's start with the very beginning - the screenplay. Gavin Michael Booth and Daved Wilkins (also the co-star of the film) did a really good job writing this story - a story that needed to be told. Each piece of dialogue, even from the very beginning of the film, serves a purpose and is brought back by the end of this extremely realistic narrative. At times the dialogue can come off as a tad expositional and on-the-nose, but those moments don't come close to the number of times I said to myself, "That's a great line." Booth and Wilkins evolve this complex story in a unique way. A way that makes you question how they were in fact able to do so. At a certain point in the film, all that we've seen story-wise begins to click together. We begin to predict what will happen next, but at that point Booth and Wilkins' writings are two steps ahead of us. With the subject matter this film was focused on, it is easy to become predictable. And this wasn't predictable. From the beginning of the film, we can't even imagine how these characters are going to cross paths - rather cross telephone lines. It's really good. They tell a very important story and are able to portray an important message in doing so. The writing is the heart of a film and without a great director, feelings that come from the heart can be lost. No feelings were lost in this film.
Gavin Michael Booth showcased great directorial talent in this emotional film. Each emotion was carried out. One minute you were punched in the gut because of what happened on screen, and the next you were beginning to tear up because of our characters. I really felt like some moments could have pushed to be more emotional, pushing the envelope of what we see onscreen, but I can see why the decision was made not to do so. What it must have come down to is the choice to have constant emotion or the choice to build emotion in large crescendos only then to decrescendo into nothing; he chose the latter. I have a lot of respect for Booth. The amount of staging and blocking that went into the film must have been immense, but it definitely payed off. The characters were never really doing nothing, and if they were, it didn't feel boring. Be it from the rich dialogue or from the excellent camera movements (I'll talk about that more later), we were constantly engrossed in the film. I feel like sometimes our characters were moving a little too much. Constantly doing stuff, only to make it obvious when they weren't doing stuff. This would then open a space for emotional moments to hit. It makes a lot of sense why they were doing stuff, but I would have liked a little more moments of "just talking" without movements. The director is only able to conjure as much emotion as the actors are able to portray, so the role of the actor is to make these emotions dance across the screen.
There were really only two characters in this film, Beth (Sarah Booth) and Scott (Daved Wilkins). Both of these actors give quite good performances - Sarah Booth especially. She was able to give a completely raw and emotional performance that this film needed. As a direct contrast to Booth, Wilkins portrayed a distant and emotionless Scott perfectly in order to make this juxtaposition to happen. Sarah Booth is a definite standout in this film. She serves as a point of reference for the audience, and it works. From the very first scene, we associate ourselves with her and begin our journey. I found myself completely astounded at the emotion she was able to bring to the screen - at one moment in particular I got goosebumps. Wilkins portrayed his character like he needed to - emotionally distant and frightened with himself. I really liked the moments where we would get to see the "Real Scott." As if he would wake up from his intoxication, we would see who this guy really is (and who he could be). Very good performance by Wilkins. The actors are only able to portray emotion when it is captured by the camera. In that way, the camera movements have to translate this emotion for the audience to see.
This film was really immersive, in the way 1917 (2019) and Rope (1948) are, but without the hidden cuts. It is all filmed in a one-shot take and it serves a purpose. I feared that this film would simply use the technique as a way to make itself standout, but it didn't. It was really purposeful. It really helped bring the tension and emotion onscreen, as we were really with our two characters; we were with our two characters because of the split screen. It was really an ingenious idea to use split screen because without it, this film wouldn't have worked. If it wasn't one-shot I don't think it would have worked as effectively either. That being said, there were moments where close-ups and alternate angles could have helped the film (and probably improved it), but because it is one-shot it wouldn't have worked. It was better to sacrifice these alternate shots and angles then to sacrifice the immersive nature of the one-shot take. Seth Wessel-Estes did a great job finding moments that were beautiful. Be it from finding clever framing or perfect shots for both different locations. It's incredible to think about how they made this film. It was filmed in two separate locations at the same time, yet they were able to film moments where it was as if they weren't. The only issue I had with some of the cinematography was that it was a little too shaky. It was kind of disorienting when one section of the screen was shaky, but the other wasn't. Also, there were moments when I could see the reflection of the cameraman, but that's really hard to get around. Overall the cinematography was really effective in portraying this story in a unique way. The cinematography is able to portray emotion through sight, but what we are able to hear is an incredibly different sense.
The composer, Adrian Ellis, did an excellent job with the music. The soundtrack ties this film together. Our characters are not always talking, so in comes the soundtrack. It perfectly portrays the mood of the film. Really great job from Ellis.
With all of these different skills combined, Last Call (2019) is able to create a living, breathing film. It squeezes all emotion out of you (as well as its characters) and aside from a few errors (like time period technology. It wasn't clear when this film took place, and some set pieces contradicted others i.e. flip phones vs rooms full of desktop computers) this film is really good. When the phone rings, you never know who might be on the other side, needing your help. When Last Call (2019) begins, you never truly know how it will impact you, until it does.
score 7/10
ethanj-41027 6 April 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5614507/ |
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23-2-2021 12:07:06