Ivan Kander
Phone calls are inherently contradictory in nature: intimate yet physically distanced—there’s a little voice whispering in your ear that is potentially thousands of miles away. Or, perhaps, it belongs to someone who is hiding in the bushes outside…
Playing like an amalgamation of the legendary Scream opening, Compliance (the 2012 thriller from Craig Zoble), and a scammer narrative ala the Hollywood Con Queen, Laura Beckner’s Willing to Go There is a sparse and taut cinematic thriller, utilizing very simple cinematic collateral (a single actor and a location) to craft something both uncanny and creepy in equal measure.
Based on a true story (one Beckner had personal experience with) of a strange phone predator who preyed upon vulnerable actors back in 2018, Willing to Go There mines a lot of very “of this time” material (isolation, anxiety, a desire to connect, the way Hollywood preys on female actors seeking opportunities) and centers it around one very creepy phone call. It’s the rare horror thriller that is unnerving without ever resorting to cheap tricks: no “boo” jump scares, no lame monster reveal and/or cut-to-black ending. Instead, it’s a taunt and psychologically gripping piece that patiently builds its sense of dread.
Deborah Ann Woll plays Margaret, a woman who gets a call from an unknown number.
While the film’s plot is simple, the craft is next-level. It’s an accomplished and patient piece of filmmaking: every shot feels purposeful, and the dim and moody lighting is scary without feeling over-stylized (e.g. not an excessive amount of teal and tungsten lighting). Beckner wields all the cinematic resources at her disposal—sound, cinematography, location—with aplomb, resulting in something that feels meticulous and controlled.
As Beckner relates to Short of the Week:
“I wanted to explore the roles we play to please others and the danger of openness and vulnerability. My idea was that the camera, the sound and cinematography, would enhance these movements of danger, shame, and power already woven into the story. I come from a comedy background, I am comfortable with wit, landing a beat with laughter. Here I went the other way. I wanted to have something primarily mental and emotional play out visually… to build a sense of dread, a slow burning bridge to nowhere.”
Although they may ostensibly seem simple to produce, handling phone calls on screen can be a tricky endeavor. Typically, actors are simply “pretending” to hear the other caller and the voice on the other line is added via ADR in post. But, Beckner knew this wouldn’t give the conversation the tension and precise timing she wanted: she needed both actors to be able to respond and react to one another in real time. As such, both the central actors used earpieces to talk to one another for each take. I think the verisimilitude of this approach—the authentic back and forth of their interaction—is, ultimately, why the piece feels so gripping.
I do think the film fizzles by its conclusion. I can sense it’s striving for something “more”, drifting to something surreal where the protagonist is able to reverse the power imbalance of the dynamic. But, I’m not completely clear what the film is attempting to say and I sort of wish it would have stayed in the unnerving discomfort of it all—in this feeling of being taken advantage of by someone via the power of their voice. But, it’s still a compelling ride, the kind of short film that shows burgeoning potential from a talented director. With talks to convert Willing to Go There into a feature, I have no doubt we will be seeing a lot more from Beckner in the future.