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)

When an entire movie is based on one guy, you need to like him – one way or another. I had pretty mixed feelings about him, though. While I thought he gave a good and believable performance as an actor, I was incredibly annoyed by his superiority and his treatment of his colleagues and the people on the other side of the line. It was quite distracting and as a result I was only interested in what was happening where we couldn't see it. You could say this film is about a single moment in time. And that worked for me. But then it sort of awkwardly fell apart, and suddenly it was over, and that just wasn't enough for me. A weaker 4 stars (03/11/2021)

A minimalist drama almost exclusively centred around its main character, whom the viewer can’t take their eyes off for an hour and a half, and through whom all the storyline and dialogues of the secondary roles are conveyed. The story is based solely on the dialogues uttered by the main character via a telephone line, and entirely stands as such – no blood, no action, no effects (I can imagine how fast this film pays for itself). I definitely value the concept. However I can’t appreciate the film fully, the storyline suffering from some illogical gaps, and not a single reheated filmic cliché is left out in the final part. Still, I admire the creators for being able, once again, to come up with a project that follows the rule ‘a lot of bang for the buck’. [KVIFF 2018] (06/07/2018)

Radio drama of the year 2018. Nicely civil in a “Lindholm" way. At the same time, however, it is true that precisely because of civility, all the twists and turns on which it sadly relies too much are from the very beginning quite obvious. And, unfortunately, this includes the occasional logical lapses that break down the civility. But again, it doesn't matter that much, because it will soon take on such a captivating pace that there's still no time to deal with them. (27/12/2018)

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)