The Oscar nominations are in and lucky are we that one of the films nominated is actually available for free online courtesy of Indie Wire. Starring Sally Hawkins, The Phone Call is a beautiful and heart-wrenching dramatic short. Directed by Mat Kirkby, the short is beautifully filmed and rich with colour, and yet The Phone Call contrasts its visuals with the realities of one of the most brutal professions one could ever work: A counselor on a crisis hotline. Hawkins, a Golden Globe Winner and Oscar nominee plays Heather, the compassionate and empathetic counselor trying to assist a sorrow-filled man named Stanley, a disembodied voice telling a gut-wrenching tale of loss and mourning. Stanley, voiced to perfection by Academy Award winning actor Jim Broadbent, has taken a suicidal dosage of pills and only wants someone to talk to before everything comes to an end. It is depressing subject matter to digest, by any means, and yet somehow The Phone Call manages to deliver this

The script, written by James Lucas and Kirkby is expertly crafted and delivers a range of emotions, from deep sadness to incredible pathos. Paired with the excellent photography of DP Ole Bratt Birkeland, the script manages to do the impossible: it makes you feel like everything is okay while the realities of the situation seem so bleak. This is beautiful film making through and through and well deserving of the nomination it has received. I wish Kirby and company the best of luck with the Oscars.

Check out the short below:

http://www.indiewire.com/embed/player.jsp?videoId=00000149-2e2b-dcc7-a7df-6fef41fa0000&width=480

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