We’ve all seen those funny and popular “Your Five” mobile phone commercials where one friend finds that his girlfriend’s name and number (along with a secret ringtone) are in his best friend’s phone and while they are amusing, the ads always feel forced complete with “sound bites” and “catch phrases” cribbed from pop culture such as Pulp Fiction and other sources. For a fresh spin on a very relatable situation in this world of overlapping social circles and both the convenience and frustration of the lack of privacy of technology comes an inventive short film, nominated for a British Academy Award and starring Martin Freeman of BBC’s The Office. Subtle, low-key and filled with the sort of throwaway, casual, uncomfortable and self-deprecating British dialogue we’ve come to love delivered by stars such as Hugh Grant, the adorable Kevin (Freeman) sits on what is presumably his sofa alongside one of his best friends Julian (James Lance), trying to work up the courage to call a woman who has given him a number which for once, he thinks is actually real. Being averse to answering machines, he borrows his buddy’s cell phone only to realize that once the number to Amanda (Neve McIntosh) is dialed in, the phone registers it, prompting Kevin to realize that his friend may have already dated the woman in question and so begins one of the funniest and most realistic short films available on iTunes as we watch the saga develop with three cell phones calling each other back and forth, a mini-soap opera spilling out before us for our enjoyment. Funny, sad, and with the impressive quality of feeling like we’re peering into a typical evening of life being lived, Call Register is definitely worth a download.
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