The Listener (2024)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

Call Space

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Sometimes movies can be described as "too talky," but other times talky movies can be magical, like Steve Buscemi's The Listener, a lovely drama that embraces the simple acts of opening up, unburdening the soul, and listening.

Beth (Tessa Thompson) works answering phones for a crisis helpline. She works out of her home and takes the night shift, which generally has a higher volume of callers.

On this night, she speaks to a man who was recently released from prison, a man in a loveless marriage, a young woman living on the street, a disturbed young man who uses the internet to prey on innocent victims, a young woman with bipolar disorder, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who suffers from nightmares, a police officer, and a woman who is just having a bad day.

While Beth listens, she sometimes sketches. She manages to say the right thing to some of the callers, and isn't quite able to help others. But one caller in particular inspires Beth to break the rule of anonymity and open up about her own history.

Directed by Buscemi and shot over the course of only six days, The Listener is set in a single location and features only one actor onscreen. And that actor was chosen well.

Thompson is great in big movies (Bianca in the Creed movies, Valkyrie in the Marvel movies, etc.), but she really excels when she has something intimate, like Little Woods, Sylvie's Love, Passing, or this.

She has great power, but also a great tenderness, capable of doing so much with only the slightest movements. (When we think of acting, we think of talking; Thompson is great at listening.)

The voice cast — which includes Logan Marshall-Green, Margaret Cho, Rebecca Hall, and Alia Shawkat (although you might not recognize them) — are also right on point, telling their sad or angry stories with searing honesty.

The screenplay by Alessandro Camon (The Messenger, Bullet to the Head) may seem randomly assembled — it doesn't necessarily build — but the content is rich and effective, from the briefest of calls the lengthiest.

But the true power of The Listener is that connection between Beth and her callers, the emotional power of these simple transactions. It's palpable, and hard to resist. It's a great way to take a break from the noise of life and just… listen.