As the trajectory of the film industry makes it harder and harder for smaller films to get a fair fight in an increasingly competitive landscape, news of such features finding distributors is always great to see, but this one hits a bit differently.
The film in question is Steve Buscemi-directed The Listener, written by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alessandro Camon and starring Creed and MCU star Tessa Thompson. Having first premiered at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, The Listener follows a particularly intense night in the life of Beth (Thompson), a helpline worker fielding more and more calls with every passing day, and who’s burdened by both the crushing possibility that tonight is the night that she might lose somebody, and reminders of why she does this job in the first place.
Per Deadline, Vertical Entertainment will now handle the film’s distribution in North America, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with the release in the United States currently set for March 29 later this year—and the more people who take advantage of this information, the better.
There are, of course, plenty of films that touch on important issues and ideas, but how many of those films present issues that audiences, on an individual level, have the power to really, truly confront? The Listener, ruggedly stepping in as a vehicle to explore a world gripped in the throes of a loneliness epidemic despite the logistical heights we’ve reached in our ability to communicate, just might be one of those films.
Indeed, it’s easy to put out an advert telling someone to reach out, but The Listener seems more interested in asking what exactly happened to us for such a gutting wave of loneliness to have gained the power it has. Perhaps deepening the question instead of sending a message will ultimately prove to make a bit of a splash on this scourge, even if that splash only amounts to just one person.
(featured image: Olive Productions)
