On The Line 2023

Alderney, Channel Islands. 1964. A telephone operator ends up being the pivotal piece of a drama unfurling which puts professional integrity, and relationships, to the test.

Review

Here is a claustrophobic thriller that unfolds entirely inside a small telephone exchange on the island of Alderney in the early 1960s; it features just one actor visible throughout, with other characters only heard through the telephone lines. Writer-director-producer Oliver Pearn, making his feature debut here after working as an assistant director and the like, is laying down a crisp white calling card by showing off how economically he can tell a story. While this sometimes feels less like cinema and more like a stage piece or even a radio play, the end result is reasonably engaging and propulsive.