CALL GIRL (2014): Short Film Review…A Red-Letter Date

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Call Girl – 2014

I think most of you out there would agree with me when I say that the lion’s share of horror flicks that we sit down to, we can typically deduce a pretty good guess as to the general direction it’s going to go within the first third of the film.  By and large, our favorite genre has a tendency to be pretty predictable; still, when a film is done well (the performances are outstanding, or perhaps the direction is skillful; maybe the story has a peppering of unexpected details…maybe it’s a combination of any or all of the above) we find ourselves enjoying it despite the fact we figured it out early.  Now, take a film that matches that description, and throw in a nice, unexpected and well-executed twist; when something like that happens, it can leave we the audience feeling like we’ve won a prize.

Now, take that formula and do it all in six minutes.

 

Call Girl is a short film that is the freshman effort of director Jill Sixx Gevargizian; with it’s high-end look and strong, intimate acting, it serves itself up as quite a treat.

We’re thrust into the position of being that observer on the viewing end of a webcam; apparently, the friend of the POV that we have is preparing for an evening of entertainment, and is excited about sharing the experience.  “Our” buddy is a strange bird; kinda bug-eyed and awkward, and his countenance isn’t helped by the distortion of his webcam.  Soon, we get a pretty good idea of what kind of “entertainment” he has in mind; a tall, lovely woman enters the room, all legs and spike heels, seeming a little uncomfortable herself, but quickly adapting herself to the situation.  “It’s two hundred dollars,” she states.  Well, now we know what kind of entertaining is going to be rockin’ this place tonight, don’t we?  Just what kind of folks have we stepped into the viewpoint of?

our_buddy

Our “buddy”…

After only a moment of “getting to know you” conversation, our bubble-eyed buddy excuses himself for a moment (to gather some “protection”, dontcha know?)…and when he returns, our questioning of what we’ve gotten into amplifies about a thousand percent; but who is going to be the most surprised when all is said and done?

I was most impressed with the ease with which I was lulled into the whole world of this little flick; before I even realized it, I was suckered into the narrative.  Our odd little pal, played by The Human Centipede II‘s Laurence R. Harvey, is a believeable if slightly grimy character; his nervousness balanced against his anticipation is flawlessly convincing.  Genre fave Tristan Risk is equally at ease in the role of the titular “call girl”, and the interplay between these two characters is natural and organic, right down to the expressions and intonations in their dialogue.  Considering that this entire film is a single-location, single-camera shot from a static position, without these kind of performances it simply would not work; in this case, however, it works brilliantly.  Gevargizian’s choices of colors and backgrounds for this one-shot movie forms a perfect frame for the action that we are witness to, and the use of the webcam distortion and even the pauses in video and audio simulating the “lag”one often experiences with video-chatting enhances the illusion and gives it a credibility that accentuates the performances.  All in all, the film shows much higher production value and talent on both sides of the camera than one typically expects from a short.

warming_up

Dunno if I’d call it “warming up” to each other…

I won’t go into what happens beyond what I’ve spoken of in the summary; some things, you just gotta discover on your own.  Suffice to say, she story draws you in effortlessly, leads you to think one way, suddenly makes you believe in another…then leaves you wondering exactly what the hell you just saw…

…all in six minutes.

As I alluded to earlier, prize-winning in my book.

I’ll be watching for more of Gevargizian’s work in the future, that’s for sure.

–Mouse

 

 

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Andrew Thompson

Editor at LeglessCorpse
The Mouse...just your average guy with what is most likely an unhealthy affinity for horror movies, sci-fi, superheroes, bacon, old cartoons and horror movies. Oh, I almost forgot, I really dig horror movies; new ones, old ones, it matters not; I love 'em. Husband, father, veteran and scribbler. I like bacon as well. The Mouse abides ;)