Last Call

I can't believe how well the director was able to sync the performances by the two lead characters. This certainly is a difficult task that should be celebrated! Great story and great performances by both main actors. Can't wait to see more from the director.

At a time where movies are so predictable, this movie breaks that barrier with this amazing continuous shot with a split screen. Your eyes can't stay off the screen because it's so gripping and poignant. Sarah Booth brings an emotional intensity that is so raw it's beautiful (but also painful) because she makes you feel every moment and every word she says. What a refreshing take on filming with a very real message that doesn't placate to the audience but just lays out a real and authentic story.

But it's short! Gimmick is great but it gets old really fast.

I enjoyed the performances by the two actors. They both created believable characters. Unfortunately that was not enough to compensate for the pace of the film.

I got a little bored and lost interest after about an hour. Maybe if this was a short film, 15 minutes less than it's running time, It would have maintained my interest.

Perhaps I lost interest because the man is not a very sympathetic character, so I had a hard time really investing in the outcome. Yeah, I didn't really care what happened to him one way or another. The script didn't give me a reason to root for him to change. I suppose I don't have a lot of patience for a certain type of person with certain kids of behaviors.

Last Call is a drama from Gavin Michael Booth presented in a split-screen format over real time across two long takes shot simultaneously. It's certainly a method of presentation I've never witnessed for an entire feature before and it's one I won't forget in a hurry. Last Call tells the story of Scott (Daved Wilkins), a bitterly alone man, who phones the suicide prevention hotline one night and ends up, through a misdial, speaking with Beth (Sarah Booth), a janitor of a local community college.

Last Call deals with such a sensitive subject matter such as suicide in an incredibly emotional and respectful manner, Gavin Michael Booth and Daved Wilkins writing a narrative that slowly reveals more to the audience and in doing so becomes more heart-breaking with each passing minute.

It's an ambitious film in its execution, Seth Wessel-Estes' cinematography a great asset to the film, keeping the audience with these two characters as they go through a phone call taht will change their lives. It took me a while to take to the split-screen approach but once I did I was captivated with the entire thing and how it would unfold. Adrian Ellis' score also adds another layer of emotion to proceedings.

At the forefront of Last Call lies to contrasting yet equally as impressive performances from Sarah Booth and Daved Wilkins. Booth in particular has the more demanding role and she showcases a fantastic range of emotions throughout, making her a character to reallt get behind. That doesn't mean Wilkins just sits back and lets Booth do all the work because there is much more to his performance than just sounding depressed, leading to Scott becoming a character you don't want to see any harm come to.

Sadly, many people take their own lives each year so raising awareness by any means necessary is important. Last Call is an incredibly relevant film for this reason and one that you should seek out.