Call Your Mom
2023 · 8m · USA
Directed by Isaac Garza
Genres: comedy
Tones: absurdist, dark, darkly comic, melancholic
After ignoring a call from his mother following a big business win, a man is guilt-tripped by his coworker into calling her back, setting off an absurdist escalating spiral involving mortality statistics, meddling strangers, and a surprise sibling intervention.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Single uncut take of escalating guilt-trip about calling your mother — three minutes, one technical challenge, decent gag. Tight enough to not overstay.
A single-take escalating-comedy bottle film about phoning one's mother — the technical conceit and the comic premise are well-matched in scale, but the territory has been worn by countless one-take exercises. Pleasant.
Three minutes executed in a single uncut long take with escalating comedic stakes — that technical constraint matches the dramatic challenge perfectly, since you can't cut to relieve the escalation. Short of the Week distribution confirms the gimmick earns itself.
Reviews
The result is an impressive all-around piece we're happy to welcome into our collection.
Festivals
- Austin Film Festival 2023
- Cleveland International Film Festival 2023
- Whistler Film Festival 2024