Last Call: Review

19th September 2020

Last Call is a poignant, emotional and thought-provoking drama that deals with issues surrounding suicide and grief, talking about the impact that it has on those who are going through mental health issues and those who volunteer to help when those people need to talk.

Scott (Daved Wilkins) is lonely, suicidal and has also developed a drinking problem. One night after coming home from a bar he decides to make the call that he had been thinking about making for many months – to a suicide helpline.

Beth (Sarah Booth) is a janitor, part time student and single mother to two boys. Like Scott, life has taken a toll on her, but she works hard and hopes for a better future despite her past experiences. So, when Beth picks up the phone while she’s at work in the evening, she’s surprised and concerned to find that Scott has called her by mistake. What happens next shows their conversation and Beth’s willingness to help a stranger, hoping that one phone call may save Scott’s life and turn his life around.

Excellently written and directed by Gavin Michael Booth and co-written by Daved Wilkins, Last Call is a realistic drama shot in split-screen and in real time showing both Scott and Beth’s perspectives. Although this idea may appear too distracting and gimmicky when put on paper, Last Call never feels that way because Booth shoots the scenes so seamlessly that it’s as if they’re both connected.

From watching Scott and Beth doing whatever they do before they call, to what happens as it ends, Booth keeps the audience interested and often glued to their seats as they start to connect to with characters.

Both Daved Wilkins and Sarah Booth give outstanding performances and the script feels so real it’s almost as if the audience is listening in on a real conversation that may take place at suicide hotline centres every day.

The drama never exploits the themes of suicide and grief to manipulate its audience, instead giving a realistic and heart-breaking account of a man whose life is on the line and will stay with its audience long after viewing.

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