The Phone Call

2013 0h 21m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 81

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Heather is a shy lady who works in a helpline call centre. When she receives a phone call from a mystery man, she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Cast

Sally Hawkins
Heather
Jim Broadbent
Stan (voice)
Edward Hogg
Daniel
Prunella Scales
Joan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mat Kirkby
Writers: Mat Kirkby, James Lucas
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 21-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mat Kirkby, shot by Ole Bratt Birkeland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lizzy Graham shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and Edward Hogg carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt3071532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 81 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mat Kirkby directs. Ole Bratt Birkeland behind the camera. Lizzy Graham cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 21-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 13 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Mat Kirkby, shot by Ole Bratt Birkeland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Lizzy Graham shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent and Edward Hogg carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt3071532 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 81 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "depression", "jazz", "despair", "overdose".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ole Bratt Birkeland
Editing: Lizzy Graham
Runtime: 21 min · 0h 21m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Phone Call (2013)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mat Kirkby

Hard to Swallow
2007

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-21
★ 7/10
This is a really quite poignant glimpse at just how tough it can be when you are on the end of a phone trying to help someone in the depths of despair. Sally Hawkins is "Heather" who comes to volunteer one evening at a crisis helpline and receives a call from "Stan". The immediately recognisable sound of Jim Broadbent's emotional voice now tells her of his predicament, and pretty swiftly she is not only trying to console and comfort him, but also to try to glean some information about his identity so she can perhaps offer more practical help. She thinks she remembers a call he made before, you see - but he denies that. Hawkins offers a masterly understated performance here, gently feeling her way through a traumatic conversation that she - and we - sense might not end well. It's gently scored and effectively illustrates just how profoundly a sense of loneliness and pointlessness can affect even the most robust of people. It's well worth a watch this.

Production companies