On the Line

Low-budget Brit period drama "On The Line" tries aping the real-time one person / one room style of the likes of "Locke" or "Buried", and although it falls way short of them its intent is admirable. The only person on-screen is 1960's Alderney Island switchboard operator Victoria Lucie, whose role with the technology of the time was to connect telephone callers with each other - which on this occasion puts her at the center of an ongoing abduction & possible murder. Credibility is stretched thin, but it's just about engaging enough, with twists, and wraps up early at 1hr 14mins. Though it's mediocre fare, Oliver Pearn's writer / director debut still makes him one to keep a look out for.

Agnes (Victoria Lucie) is operating the telephone switchboard alone in the small town of Alderney, UK. It's 1964. A strange phone call comes in. Agnes believes that a dire situation is brewing and calls the police.

This is a small British indie. It is really small in that there is only one room and one actress besides the various voice actors. It is an interesting production. There is a surprising amount of tension in the first half of the movie. It probably would have worked great as a radio drama in the early 20th century. The actress does her best in a constraint space. This is an admirable attempt.

I was looking forward to seeing this movie based on the short overview I had read; it sounded like an interesting premise for a good movie.

This was nothing like I expected, and it just did not seem to have any real direction or gripping storyline.

A single telephone operator with a tiny old-fashioned plug and cord switchboard surrounded by modern dialing infrastructure? I used to be a switchboard operator in the country and know how to answer and make calls using plug & cord boards, so I picked up on a few errors in how this "operator" used the cords and keys (but that's just me).

The entire storyline was very unbelievable, predictable and not that interesting. It could have been a gripping thriller, but you should just hand up on this one!

She connects people, gets harassed by pranksters but still manages to keep her faith alive. It's a beautiful drama about what's really humanly valuable. A low budget flick with a mildly tensed story line that explores the post war Europe's life and general loneliness and societal neglect. Excellent cinematography with the confined space. Great visuals to capture Agnes's end during the ordeal. Excellent work by the artists in drawing mental pictures with vocal personalities. Great work Lucie too. Audio was timed very well and adequately powerful. On the line is a unqiue drama with a lot of heart and soul.

In 1964 in Alderney, a telephone operator ends up being the pivotal piece of a drama.

This is well written and the dialogue is very good. The score is great and the editing is done well.

I've never worked at a call centre so I don't know how accurate it is but well done to the Mr Oliver Pearn for directing this thriller/drama.

It reminded me of The Slender Thread of 1965.

I like the actress Victoria Lucie English accent, she sounds awfully nice as a smooth operator and she's beautiful with the pink ribbon so I would definitely call her too and tell a joke but I'm afraid she would put me on hold (joke)

In conclusion, I don't think there's a lot that can be done with this plot but within it's confine it's alright and easy on the eyes.

So go ahead please and make your favourite cuppa and have a pineapple upside down cake.