Hotline

Courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

"Hotline" tells the stories of people who have remained masked behind our society's belief that hotlines are secretive gateways into another world. Whether you're calling for psychological companionship via sex lines, or a friendly ear to vent about those inner demons, hotlines have never been seen as anything other than secretive. Between the ten or so people interviewed, it becomes clear that they see hotlines as a way to be open about yourself, in a time where the internet lets you be anything. The people on the other end of these calls are not alter egos who are there to listen, end the call, and go about their lives, but listeners who are impacted by everyday human interaction.

 The film's greatest strength is that it shows what a hotline can do, better than any commercial, flyer, or ad. The hotline workers mostly look like starry eyed dreamers or misplaced humans, tired by their jobs but animated by their cause. What it does poorly is edit these interviews and voice overs together into a coherent, always easy to follow way. Most of the film flits between different people for no more than five minutes of screen-time before waddling over to the next. It would have been better if they focused on one subject for a period of time, to clearly show their impact on their callers, and the work they do. It was even unclear about how some of these hotlines operated, day to day. They skimmed the surface on a homework helpline for a couple minutes, and then onto a random New Yorker who takes calls all day, perhaps unpaid? He's not part of a hotline, and it isn't clear what training he has to talk to people, or even what he does when he's not taking calls. It's not to say his section isn't interesting, but it’s confusing.

 The film also tries to show how people who call hotlines feel about it with some voice overs. These do serve to further the film along, add depth, and make for some really pointed commentary about connecting with people, but really it's just filler. There's an interview with one person who used a hotline, and she rambles on for ten minutes before saying she called once and never called again. Why was that even in there? Again, with some more solid editing and a less scattered approach, this film could have been twice as relevant and accessible. As it stands it still shows behind the curtain and displays human’s need for interaction in our society.