Part of the Letterboxd Watch List Countdown
IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
6min | Short, Drama | Short
Metacritic:
Rotten Tomatoes Rating:
Director: Caroline Bartleet
Writer: Caroline Bartleet
Stars: Kate Dickie, Vicky McClure, Laura McAlpine
Movie Tagline:
IMDb summary: Gemma wakes to find her house on fire. Trapped with her son, she dials 999. The operator who answers holds Gemma’s life in her hands.
We’ve been looking for this short film for a while and it has been on our Letterboxd watch list for some time. But a quick search on YouTube delivered the goods. You can find quite a lot of short films on YouTube if you’re not already familiar with using YouTube to find short films to review.
This short film is definitely something special. It’s almost five minutes of white-knuckle intensity as you watch the scene unfold. It’s interesting to note that when Kate Dickie speaks to the woman on the phone, everything else around her becomes eerily quiet. The scene begins in the 999 Call Centre and the camera slowly finds Kate Dickie’s character and pans in on her at her desk.
What can you do with six minutes of film time? Quite a lot it would seem, as this short film just doesn’t miss a single beat. You’re fine for a minute and then wham! The intensity of the scene grips onto you and you’re right there with the Operator.
If you want to learn how to make a BAFTA award-winning short film, this film should do it for you. Excellent portrayal from Kate Dickie and once the camera is on her, you can’t turn away.
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JulieG
Freelance entertainment writer and reviewer. Visit my blog on https://thebrokenquill.com.
