Film Analysis of Caroline Bartleet's 'Operator' (2015)

The gripping suspense short film Operator shows the interaction between a 911 operator and a mother who's house is on fire. Aligned with the operator, the audience are unaware of what is occurring apart from the audio of the phone call as she guides the family through what they should do. The film is shot in one location, in front of the operator's monitors. The camera work and panning around her shows the isolation involved in her job and in turn the extreme pressure put on just herself. Two parts of the short film that stood out to me was when there was no dialogue/silence, first when the mother goes against the advice of the operator and goes to find her son, as the film I based on the dialogue, when there is none it creates uneasy tension. Later when they are both safe and the call ends, the short silence that ensues shows how emotionally draining the job is, especially when that silenced is interrupted by another call, showing the cyclical and unresolved nature of the job.