A Filmmuseum release of a Holland Harbour Prods. production. Produced by Nadadja Kemper, Rob Vermeulen, Nico Geusebroek. Directed by Noud Heerkens. Screenplay, Jacqueline Epskamp, Heerkens.
With: Johanna ter Steege, Ruurt de Maesschalck.
If only all film experiments worked as well as "Last Conversation." Best known for video and installation work, Noud Heerkens makes his feature helming debut by mounting 25 cameras on a Jaguar XJS and shooting one of Europe's finest actresses, Johanna ter Steege, in a one-sided, one-take phone conversation with the married lover who's just jilted her. The impressive, engrossing results are attributable to Heerkens' meticulous conception, a near-perfect script and ter Steege's stunningly nuanced performance. Media attention will be vital to draw local auds, while limited Euro arthouse play may further the discussion.
Unlike most one-take features, this one doesn't make a show of the conceit, thanks to multiple cameras and Merel Notten's judicious editing. Anna (ter Steege) gets a call from recent ex Laurens (Ruurt de Maesschalck, heard only as a muffled voice) while she's driving. The conversation begins fairly coldly and politely, with an undertone of bitterness that gradually develops its own bouquet as Anna allows herself to fall into habitual behaviour patterns, checking herself as they continue to talk.
Scripters Jacqueline Epskamp and Heerkens must have written Laurens' lines as well, allowing Anna to respond and play her own games ranging from false reassurances to antagonism and desperation. That Anna is a lawyer, and an obviously successful one, enhances the depth of the anger she directs at herself as well as her former lover. Though she starts off telling him she's headed to the airport for a vacation, it becomes clear the drive is not about escape.
Only the lower half of ter Steege's face catches the sun through most of the pic, meaning that much has to be conveyed via tone and turn of mouth rather than the eyes. The actress is more than up to the task, painfully conveying the essence of an independent woman who could never have imagined herself in such a position. Of course Anna Magnani and others essayed similar roles in Jean Cocteau's "La Voix humaine," also featuring one-sided phone conversations, but rarely has the device felt so fresh, simmering but controlled.
Despite the closed quarters -- some of the cameras shoot the roadside, but the focus is very much inside the car -- the widescreen lensing feels vital; TV and ancillary won't have the same impact. When Anna finally opens the window to get some air, auds will feel the breeze as well, grateful to have the tension momentarily blown away before continuing on the painful journey. Sound is flawless.
Camera (color, widescreen), Richard van Oosterhout; editor, Merel Notten; production designer, Diana van de Vossenberg; costume designer, Patricia Lim; sound (Dolby Surround), Boris Debackere, Steven van Dijk; line producer, Esther Thedinga. Reviewed at Rotterdam Film Festival (Bright Future), Jan. 23, 2009. Running time: 73 MIN.
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