‘On The Line’ VOD Review
Stars: Victoria Lucie, Royce Pierreson, Harriet Walter, Joanne Rogers, Thomas Bliss, Sally Geake, Richard Heap, Chris Donnelly | Written and Directed by Oliver Pearn
For his feature debut, writer/director Oliver Pearn crafts a story set in 1964 on Aldernay (one of the Channel Islands). Agnes (Victoria Lucie) works as a telephone operator to connect the whole island through her switchboard, a role she considers leaving with her wedding day moving ever closer. Her typical day is shaken by a distressing call from a woman asking for help, which leaves Agnes intent on helping however possible.
While On The Line is confined to a single room, the story unfolds through phone calls to have conversations audibly convey what is happening. Pearn heightens the tension to terrifically make it an engrossing watch, particularly when aided by a compelling lead performance. Lucie effectively captures Agnes’ investment in this situation, as she tries proactively helping through investigations from her workstation, while also feeling frustrated whenever the case struggles to progress.
It must be said that the premise feels familiar to other confined features, including the unconnected 2022 feature On The Line, and The Guilty – both the 2018 Danish thriller and the 2021 American remake. However, Pearn’s debut loses its shine when the realization hits regarding how close this story runs to both versions of The Guilty, with the unfolding plot beats and revelations moving it from mere coincidence to feeling like an unauthorized remake.
Credit is deserved regarding the attempts to set this feature apart, which includes expanding upon a recurring theme to cover how people suffer in silence and the difficulty of feeling helpless when reflecting on past pain. Admittedly, an attempt to connect the latter to Agnes’ history feels like an unnecessary addition, although On The Line manages to come together for an engaging tale that shows promise in Pearn’s work.
*** 3/5
On The Line is out on on digital platforms in the UK from Miracle Media.
