The Guilty

Although the camera essentially stays the main protagonist and never leaves his police telephone exchange, this thriller is extremely gripping and even able to surprise with unexpected twists. Practically, the only thing happening are telephone calls. However, the viewer gradually learns not only about the criminal case of the crisis call of an abducted woman, but also the background and nature of the main protagonist, including his personal problems, as well as the psychologically-demanding routine of emergency line operators in general. Lots of substance with minimal resources, maximum intimacy, but also maximum effect. (29/06/2018)

If someone told me before watching The Guilty that all it takes is one room, one man, and a telephone to create a riveting film, I would have been significantly skeptical. Nevertheless, it works. Thanks to a clever screenplay and a focused and absolutely natural Jakob Cedergren in the role of a police officer, you will witness a minimalist film that has the ability to emotionally shatter you into pieces. The Guilty is an inconspicuous and intimate piece that can easily go unnoticed in the flood of big-budget, visually spectacular action movies, which would be a shame. Therefore, I recommend listening carefully to the voice of a man who can discern, amidst a series of annoying and unnecessary phone calls, the one that leads to a cruel revelation and, with its darkness and hopelessness, breaks free from the routine of emergency hotline workers. Overall impression: 95%. (03/08/2018)

It’s about the premise, the filmmaking craft, the absolutely claustrophobic atmosphere of a call center. Sure, there’s a whole lot of illogical situations, but I don’t really care. I sat there at the edge of my seat for 85 minutes, completely glued to the screen with suspense. The Guilty has amazed me with great dialogues, a flawed main character and moments that really made me feel something. Another minimalistic but memorable, high-quality piece. (29/07/2018)

A solid debut and Danish one man show starring Jakob Cedergren. The main character is a former police officer with a troubled past who works on the 112 emergency line, and just before his shift ends he gets a call that turns his night into a stressful, exhausting and challenging one. The film takes place entirely in the office and the camera never leaves the protagonist's side for a minute. It features a realistic performance backed by decent dialogues and a fine plot, and the director delivers a solid twist at the end. The film is indeed nicely suspenseful and emotional in places, but, it didn't pull me in as much as I had hoped. Yet I give it a thumbs up and it's definitely worth seeing. 75% (06/11/2018)

A subjectively suffered good deed and Intensive game of contrasts. Both in visual terms from the light and darkness in the two workplaces, and in auditory terms from the nervous silence and bone-chilling vibrations or ringing tones. However, I would consider its most attractive asset the semantic contrast, where the lone sentence on the recording can affect the viewer completely differently every time. I won't argue that it's more than just a suffocating genre film, but it's so well done that I will gladly join the growing buzz. (29/07/2018)