Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar makes his English-language debut with "The Human Voice," a 30-minute short, starring Tilda Swinton. The movie was set for production in early 2020, but the pandemic - like everything else - caused the shooting to be delayed. By mere happenstance, "The Human Voice" became a snapshot of this difficult moment in time.
Almodóvar's film is based on a play by Jean Cocteau, which allows for minimal sets, perfect for stringent pandemic-era protocols. The movie stars Tilda Swinton, credited as Woman, who goes into a store and purchases a hatchet. The Woman seems frantic and on a mission, but Almodóvar keeps making us wonder what she could be up to. She goes back to her elegant apartment, frantically moves about it, before swallowing a handful of pills. She is methodical in her intake, knowing exactly how much to take, as to not cause any severe outcomes.
Turns out the Woman is waiting for a phone call from the person she has been in a relationship with for four years. It's a phone call she's been expecting, but constantly dreading. Once things come into focus, narratively speaking, Swinton spends the time wandering around her home, on the phone. There's an accompanying soundstage, which extends the apartment, and gives "The Human Voice" its feeling of replicating a play.
Outside of the interactions at the hardware store, the movie is entirely held by Swinton and her dog. It's the kind of limited filmmaking we might see an uptick in as productions try to scale back amidst restrictions instituted to keep sets safe. The movie tackles themes of isolation and loneliness, which could be effective normally, but are exacerbated by our current times.
Swinton has always been an entrancing performer and Almodóvar knows exactly how to capture her in the contained setting. A lot of the conversation she has over the phone are shot in close-up, which allows Swinton's theatrical performance to register with an audience. Like most movies by Almodóvar, "The Human Voice" is exquisitely crafted, with each frame filled with dark greens and reds. Just from a production standpoint, "The Human Voice" is addicting to watch.
To learn more about the character, and only having Swinton front-and-center, causes the movie to feel like her phone call, at times, is her reading a character description at us. The 30-minute runtime depends on Almodóvar to fit a lot into the story and he succeeds with the gorgeous "The Human Voice."
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