Short Fiction Film, 2010

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In a single conversation, a fragile connection is formed between two strangers separated by a telephone line.

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The Phone Call explores the uncertain space between communication and misunderstanding when a person experiencing mental distress reaches out for help. Through one tense and intimate exchange, the film reveals the complexity of listening, empathy, and the difficulty of truly understanding another person’s reality when it is shaped by fear, confusion, and the early signs of psychological crisis.

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As the conversation unfolds, the boundaries between help and helplessness, trust and uncertainty, become increasingly blurred. The film asks a simple but profound question: when someone reaches out, are we truly able to hear what they are trying to say?

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Funded by the British Psychological Society through its Qualitative Methods in Psychology section and the University of Nottingham, The Phone Call was created by director and producer Gaylan Nazhad in collaboration with Professor Dr Victoria Tischler.

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United Kingdom