The Night Listener

This weekend took me to the theaters hoping that this summer was going to provide me with at least one happy experience. And I am glad to say that I have come away with the first film that I thought was genuinely well done, and interesting at the same time. And that film, my friends, is Robin Williams' newest short, The Night Listener.

Let me first start by saying that this is a very short film: 82 minutes. It is based on a short story, and it certainly has the feel of one. The eerie feeling, the strange settings, the strange acting of the characters, all has the feeling of a truly well adapted short story. Unlike most films no-a-days, the writers and directors felt no need to drag a story along for nearly 3 hours. This film gets right to the point.

Williams performs his character with amazing skill. He plays a gay man who reads stories over the radio at night. His life is riddled with anguish and loneliness. His partner is moving out on him, and he is struggling to keep up with the studio's demands for the readings.

One night, he gets a call from a sick child, a listener of his program. But there's something strange. No one can seem to confirm the existence of him. I'm not going to go into details, but I just wanted to lay out the plot for you.

The film's setting and filming technique give the story life as it takes us across the nation to a small community to visit (or attempt) this sick child. Robins plays a desperate man willing to do what is necessary to find the truth behind this child's history.

Toni Collette plays the mother of the child, a blind woman willing to do anything to scrounge pity for her son. She is a rough and sharp character, angry at anyone who disbelieves her.

Overall, this film is a beautiful rendition of a short story about human suffering and strife. What happens to a child when sexual abuse haunts her history? What happens when a man is so willing to believe in someone, he blindly goes into a situation he never wished to be in? This film is dark, and solid; it proves that Williams has a more diverse character outside his usual cartoon voice-overs. Check it out; it'll remind you of Capote, and Memento put together.

7 of 10.