Saturday Night

Running time: N/A

One night - two people - and the phone line to save their lives. Talking to a stranger on the phone is rarely a moving experience, but when you work for a telephone counseling service, it can be that and much more. Simone is working the Saturday night graveyard shift when Mac calls in. It quickly becomes clear that the caller is drunk and suicidal. Simone must gain Mac's trust quickly but is met with resistance until she starts to spill a little of her own pain. As they talk through the night, each soon realizes that the healing process is not one-sided. Featuring two highly inspirational performances from Alison Whyte and Aaron Pedersen, Saturday Night probes the human need for compassion with sharp and insightful dialogue. Intense and painfully frank, James Balian's debut feature shows that the only therapy that really works is that which we give each other, even as strangers in the night. --Ed Soohoo