“Hold the Line” is an independent short written and directed by Laura O’Shea, star of the indie films “Con” and “Narcan.” It’s a focused picture, seemingly unambitious but impressive. Its small scope belies a deeper film, one that accurately portrays the world of call center work: full of high call volumes, irate customers, and systems and policies that often don’t let you do your job. But it’s also sweet. The film’s protagonist, Em, is going through something. And while we never find out exactly what that something is, director O’Shea injects notes of empathy and realness of character that make the feature pleasing to watch.
As shorts go, “Hold the Line” feels just right. It’s just shy of 12 minutes including credits, and adequately captures a day of the life of Em, played sympathetically by O’Shea. She works for a telecommunications call center…a small desk, a confection adorned coffee tumbler, and a headset her only company. While the set is likely a home, and not an office, the film pulls off the act well. Em – who we learn is named Emily in the film’s dying seconds, is balancing a legion of irate callers while trying to get through her day. An important text comes amidst one such call; she tries to process its immediacy in the midst of a barrage of customer insults, ‘bitch’ being the most kind.
I hate to editorialize, but I will say, as a veteran of a call center myself, that O’Shea layers her picture with authenticity and realism. If you’ve never worked this kind of job the film’s callers may appear gruff, angry, and caricatures and exaggerations of real customers. They’re not. Nor is the film’s final caller – a sweet, kind lady named Patsy who needs help resetting her internet. It’s callers like Patsy that can make an employee’s day. O’Shea understands this, layers it realistically, while also hinting at a personal meaning to their interaction the film hints at, but wisely doesn’t explain.
The acting is good, and O’Shea, playing the main character, writes Em well. O’Shea doesn’t wish to comment on the customer service life as the focus of her film, but uses it subtly to tell a bigger story. Em’s reactions are believable and relatable: frustration…forced suppressed anger while being lambasted by irate customers… politely asking callers to stop using abusive language lest she has to terminate the call.
One of my favorite shots involves Em, returning from a bathroom break, sitting at her desk, donning her headset, and readying the call queue once again. She pauses, looks around, picks up her coffee cup and takes a quick gulp before taking the next call. It’s the small things that often make jobs bearable. And O’Shea – who stated call center work lined her past before moving on to acting – clearly understands this.
The film is produced well. It has good lighting, sound, editing, and competent cinematography. The photography, done by Conor Tobin, is crisp and professional, yet gives Em’s ‘office’ personal touches that make the picture that much richer. A colorful and modern analog clock sits by her desk, counting the minutes. It seems fun, soothing, and out of place in such an environment. As does Em’s coffee cup. It’s used not just for drinking; a later shot, focusing on this cup and a framed picture that has special meaning to Em, is a brilliant addition to the film that tells us in images what O’Shea has already done in facial expression.
Probably the nicest thing about “Hold the Line” is that it’s not really about anything. Sure, it hits the notes of working a job that is stressful and loathsome, and the struggles we have to balance work life with the personal. But what the film is, more acutely, is a character study of its protagonist that is purposefully vague while also wholly relatable. Her final caller, who treats her with the dignity and respect her other callers have not, isn’t used as a one-off. Both Patsy and Em give something to each other, and the result is joy-inducing and sublime. The interaction means something to both; the way it is handled by O’Shea, Lesa Thurman Russell (who voices Patsy), and the film’s closing musical number “Connection” by Wayne Jones is nothing short of remarkable.
“Hold the Line” is pleasing. It’s short, focused, and rewarding. O’Shea (with co-director Karen Killeen) has produced a good project here, and one that should find sympathetic footing among the indie community.
– by Mark Ziobro
