‘Last Call’ - Review
On the opening night of the 10th edition of the Alexandria Short Film Festival, Harry Holland's 19 minute poignant exploration of mental health, familial bonds, and the complexity of grief and regret in Last Call occupied the screen of the Alexandria Opera House, echoing a state of vulnerability and honesty surrounding such difficult themes.
The short brings us on a journey of immense meaning unfolding in a haunting yet delicate manner between Charlie (Tom Holland) and his mother Kate (Lindsay Duncan). Confined in her parked car, on a vast highway that traverses vibrant fields of greenery and yellow flowers, a couple of passersby glance at Kate as she repeatedly turns the ignition in distraught. The mood shifts as the next scene abruptly cuts to Kate entering a dimly lit, outmoded pub. A painting of a yellow-flowered meadow is in focus while her eyes wander across the room in search of something. Kate asks for a rosé, which the bartender ignores and hands her a pint of Guinness instead. Kate makes her way to a table, at which we meet Charlie for the first time. There's an air of well-established intimacy and familiarity among both of them as we find out that Charlie is, in fact, her son. Kate remarks that they've never done this before (having a drink together). There is so much that is hidden in the silence of their conversation. A wave of melancholy, urgency, and regret reverberates as Kate holds Charlie's hand, and the thrumming sounds that ring loudly throughout the scene transform into chirpings. When Charlie asks his mother the reason she's here, she tells him it's the same as his, and as their conversation deepens, we find out that Charlie chose to end his own life.
Their conversation sparked many thoughts in my mind. As someone who has dealt with mental health issues and the loss of my mother, Last Call’s sensitive depiction of the isolation and regret one feels as they grapple with mental illnesses like depression manifested in Charlie's character and the engulfing grief that Kate carries is devastatingly truthful. These complexities are evident in both Tom Holland and Lindsay Duncan's brilliant performances. As Kate hunts for absolution, trying to understand how her son felt, he assures her that his pain was not the kind that can be shared, and his only regret is the hurt he caused after his departure.
As smoke begins to flood the pub, the scene cuts to Kate in her also smoke-filled car, a parallel that confirms that the pub is a glimpse into the afterlife, a place Kate would pay any price to be in, just to be able to have one last conversation with her son. Inside the pub, Kate rushes to buy two more pints—a simple heart-wrenching metaphor for buying more time—which also lands as my favourite scene from the film.
The usage of parallelism in the film is once again utilized powerfully, as the bartender in the pub, who is also the EMT trying to revive Kate, is the one who seals the characters’ fates in both scenarios. Kate holds onto her son, unwilling to let go, emulating her denial and refusal to accept her son's passing. Charlie urges her to let go, giving her the goodbye she desperately sought, and she finally awakes on the pavement. Each character lives as a poignant reminder of the fragile balance between life and death.
In Harry Holland's Last Call, grief exists as a whirlwind of smoke and unsaid words, a never-ending spiral that drives us to hang onto the remaining threads of our loved ones’ existence, and in it I saw shadows of my own experience; all the conversations I never had with my mother are the ones that haunt me the most, and if there were a currency for buying time with her, I'd spend seas of it with no hesitation.
Despite its modest budget and limited filming locations, Last Call transcends its constraints, delivering a powerful message about the importance of empathy and understanding in the face of adversity. Holland weaves a set of metaphors that elevate the storytelling such as the recurring imagery of the yellow-flowered fields, denoting both the real life Kate must return to and her son's promise of always being with her. He also manages to create a necessary space for conversations regarding mental health and how to be more understanding and helpful to those who feel desolated in their struggles.
Crowned with the highest honor in Alexandria's Short Film Festival, Last Call received the Samir Farid Critic's Award, presented by the Egyptian Film Critics Association.