'OPERATOR': Three Stars (Out of Five)
A 6.5-minute dramatic thriller short film; about an emergency- services operator, that's trying to help a frightened woman, and her 3-year- old son, escape a house fire. The short was written and directed by actress, turned first time filmmaker, Caroline Bartleet. Kate Dickie stars in the movie, as the operator. I think the story is a great idea for a short flick, and I really respect the people who actually do those jobs (and have to deal with real life scenarios, like the one in this movie), but I still think the film could have been even better. The acting is decent (from Dickie), and Bartleet does an adequate enough job building some tension; but I think a lot more could have been done with the material. I just wasn't quite feeling it. I also saw a similar short film, called 'THE PHONE CALL' (a few years ago); that actually won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film (in 2014). That short is about a crisis center hot-line operator, that has to deal with a very intense suicide caller. It's a much better film, by comparison.
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