Actors becoming directors are nothing new and there are a slew of films the past couple of years directed by actors with varying degrees of success. One actor I didn’t realize has been directing multiple movies is Steve Buscemi. He made his directorial debut in 1996 with Trees Lounge in which he also starred, and The Listener is his fifth feature, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022 but finally got a US release in March of 2024.

Similar to Locke with Tom Hardy, The Listener has only one on-screen character, played by Tessa Thompson. It takes an actor with a strong screen presence to be able to pull off such a film, and Buscemi certainly picked the right actress for the job. Thompson plays a crisis hotline volunteer worker Beth who fields calls every night from an array of troubled souls. Beth herself lives a simple life with her dog but as she takes one call after another, it’s apparent she has a great deal of empathy for everyone who confides in her on the other line. Her lovely, soothing voice seems to have healing powers and that ‘touch’ that makes those on the other line feel that they’re being heard.

This minimalist and intimate human drama, written by Alessandro Camon, packs a punch through its evocative dialog. It may seem like a simple task to just listen to strangers talking about their problems but that’s certainly not the case at all. It’s to be expected that many of the issues the callers experience deal with mature themes such as war, violence, death, abuse, suicide, and even sexual situations. At times I fear for Beth’s life though the caller obviously can’t see her and thankfully doesn’t know where she lives. Social workers are truly the unsung heroes of society as this is such a tough, emotionally taxing task that likely could be triggering for the listener as certain issues hit too close to home.

Buscemi takes his time in uncovering who Beth is and what she’s been through, which proves effective as it makes us focus on her interaction with the callers and observe how each call affects her. Some of the actors providing the callers’ voices are Margaret Cho, Jamie Hector, Alia Shawkat, Bobby Soto, and Derek Cecil. It isn’t until her call with a woman who calls herself Laura (Rebecca Hall) that we start to learn more about Beth’s own past that compels her to be a hotline volunteer. It’s interesting to note that Hall directed Thompson in Passing in 2021, so it’s nice to see them interact here even just through their voices.

The film was shot during the Covid lockdown, but I think the theme still resonates even today. With a relatively brief 1h 36m running time, Buscemi effectively captures what many people, in America and beyond, grapple with post-pandemic: loneliness and isolation. Thompson proves she has that undeniable star quality in any genre. She’s fun to watch in big movies like Thor: Ragnarok or Creed, but also charismatic in smaller gems like Passing, Sylvie’s Love, and this one. She’s so magnetic that I don’t get tired of looking at her on screen and she truly embodies the kind, soulful, and artistic side of Beth who makes sketches as she takes each call.

Props to Buscemi for tackling such a deceptively simple story with such raw emotional candor and poignancy. In a busy world and so many hustling, action-packed yet often hollow movies, it’s refreshing to see a film like this that offers a brief escape from life’s noise. Some people might find it too slow and get bored as ‘nothing happens’ in this movie but think a little bit of reflection and the simple act of listening can be good for the soul.

Have you seen The Listener? I’d love to hear what you think!

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