Last Call (2020)

Introduction
"Last Call" is a 2020 drama film directed by Gavin Michael Booth. It presents an extreme study of two various yet troubled lives and how they converge throughout a single night. The entire movie happens in split-screen, checking out the tenuous interaction between solitude, alienation, anguish, and the will to make it through. The movie stars Sarah Booth and Daved Wilkins as protagonists Beth and Scott respectively.

Plot Overview
The plot unfolds in real-time through a single, unbroken take, provided in split-screen, representing two different areas. Scott, a despondent college speaker grieving over the loss of his household and struggling with depression, heads to a regional bar to make his 'last call.' At the other end of the line is Beth, a janitor at an evening college, who stumbles upon the open line after a night-shift cleaning and picks up the call.

Story Development
From the start, the viewer gets the upsetting sense that it isn't a common call. Scott is on the edge, pondering suicide, and Beth must pull herself together and use her resilience and empathy to talk him out of it. She's not an expert crisis line worker, however she's dealt with challenges herself and utilizes her experiences to connect with Scott.

Scott's frustrating feeling of loss and his inability to cope, juxtaposed against Beth's own individual battles, make for an intense, psychological interaction between the two main characters. As the call goes on, we learn about their past, their ordeals, and their shared pain, producing an anxiousness in the viewer that stays until the very end of the film.

Visual Uniqueness
"Last Call" stands apart for its technical imagination, using a split-screen format that enables the audience to view both characters throughout the totality of the movie. For the whole runtime, the screen space is split equally in between Beth and Scott, therefore developing an intense, immersive experience that puts the audience actually in the middle of the continuous drama.

Conclusion
The movie is much more than its special presentation, though. Both characters are exceptionally human and deeply flawed, represented by two excellent efficiencies. Their dialogue is both stark and raw, revealing the harsh realities of misery and the strength it takes to try and convince someone to live when they've lost all hope.

"Last Call" might look like a technical experiment at first, however underneath its filmmaking spectacle lies a tender, heartbreaking exploration of sorrow, isolation, and strength. It's a movie that sticks with you long after the credits roll. With an unconventional filming method, compelling performances, and delicate storytelling, "Last Call" is a distinct cinematic experience.

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