Full disclosure: InReview was provided with a screener for the following film.
When one’s significant other passes away, loneliness is a constant companion, and Ross White & Tom Berkeley’s short film “ROY” explores that concept pretty well in about 15 minutes.
The film stars David Bradley as the titular character, who is a widowed elderly man who looks through the phone book, calling random numbers in hopes of finding someone to talk to. Things take a turn when he unknowingly calls an adult hotline, in which he forges an unlikely friendship with the call girl, Cara (Rachel Shenton), who convinces him to stay on the line by agreeing to talk to him in a non-sexual manner.
Though we never see Cara (only Bradley is shown on-screen) the two forge a genuine relationship, as Roy finds the companionship he’s been needing, and Cara gets a much-needed respite from her usual job whenever he calls.
While brief, it’s a feel-good film that’s definitely worth watching, though the film’s initial premise might take viewers by surprise. Bradley is great in this, and my only major criticism of the film is that it would’ve worked better if it was longer — it feels like the film had to sprint through Roy and Cara’s relationship to keep its runtime down, when I think this could work as a great slowburn feature in the hour to hour and thirty minutes range in terms of runtime.
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