Phone calls to a police emergency call center require nerves of steel in the operators.
(2018) Thriller (Magnolia) Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Omar Shargawi, Johan Olsen, Jacob Hauberg Lohmann, Katinka Evers-Jahnsen, Jeanette Lindbæk, Simon Bennebjerg, Laura Bro, Morten Suurballe, Guuled Abdi Youssef, Caroline Leppke, Peter Christoffersen, Nicolai Wendelboe, Morten Thunbo, Anders Brink Madsen, Maria Gersby. Directed by Gustav Möller
Every so often a movie comes along that simply hits every note perfectly and sets the bar just a little bit higher. It is even more rare for that movie to come out of nowhere with little fanfare. While this movie has played Sundance, Rotterdam and our own Florida Film Festival (and recently got a distribution deal with indie heavyweight Magnolia) other than devoted film festival junkies there isn’t a lot of buzz going on about this movie but fear not; once the critics clue in to how good this movie is, they will absolutely lose their minds.
This Danish thriller from first-time director Möller (who also co-wrote the script) introduces us to Asger Holm (Cedergren), a police officer who has been exiled to their police emergency call center (the equivalent of the 9-1-1 in America although the number you dial in Denmark is 1-1-2) after some incident that is only revealed gradually. He is awaiting a hearing the next day that is expected to exonerate him and return him to being a cop. He is terse and unsympathetic on the phone, often blaming the callers for their own troubles.
Then he gets a call from Iben (Dinnage) who is highly terrified and well she should be; she’s been kidnapped and is being driven in a van to some unknown destination. The call is cut off before Asger can get an exact location from the panicked girl. Asger moves heaven and earth to try and find her, even resorting to some tactics of questionable legal and moral legitimacy. By the time the call is resolved, Asger’s perspective will be called into question as he will be forced to confront his own demons in order to save Iben from the demon that has her.
This is the kind of movie that the less you know about it going in, the more you’ll end up appreciating it. Therefore I’m only going to give you the barest outline of the plot and assure you there’s much more to it than this. Also, the entire film takes place in the call center so a tremendous burden is placed on Cedergren to be the emotional avatar of this film and he delivers in spectacular fashion. There are plenty of twists and turns and the audience will have their own preconceptions tested.
Again, given that the nature of this film is that it is way more effective if you don’t see what’s coming and I can tell you that for the most part, you can’t although the big twist you may be able to figure out before it arrives. Möller directs this so confidently that it’s hard to believe this is his first feature. While it is way too early to compare him to the greats of the thriller generation, he does show enormous potential and may one day be considered among names like Hitchcock and Scorsese.
This is simply a must see and is surely going to be among the year’s best films when all is said and done. I know I’m asking an awful lot of you to go and see a movie based on what little information I’ve passed along here but this is a movie that you will be glad you saw if you accept my recommendation on faith and I guarantee you that you’ll be grateful that you knew little or nothing more about it than what you read here.
REASONS TO GO: The film is extraordinarily suspenseful and the story extremely involving. The twists are absolutely picture perfect. The use of the single setting is imaginative. Cedergren grows more likable as the film goes on.
REASONS TO STAY: This may be too talky for American audiences.
FAMILY VALUES: There are some adult themes and profanity.
TRIVIAL PURSUIT: The director, cinematographer, producer and film editor all attended the same Danish film school at the same time and know each other well.
CRITICAL MASS: As of 6/3/18: Rotten Tomatoes: 100% positive reviews: Metacritic: 80/100.
COMPARISON SHOPPING: The Call
FINAL RATING: 10/10
NEXT: Sunset (2018)
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