Steve Buscemi‘s latest directorial feature, The Listener, will make its North American premiere at this month’s Tribeca Film Festival. The Listener follows Beth (Tessa Thompson), a helpline volunteer, through one night of work in her Los Angeles apartment where she takes phone calls from callers struggling with different problems and anxieties. While Thompson is the only actress shown on-screen through the film’s 96 minutes run, audiences will hear her interactions with several callers, voiced by actors including Rebecca Hall, Jamie Hector, Margaret Cho, and Alia Shawkat.
In a first-look clip, which you can watch below, Beth is questioned by a caller (voiced by Hall) about the difficulties she faces as a helpline volunteer. Beth shares that the most challenging part is after the caller hangs up when she is left to wonder if she upset or failed them.
The Listener is penned by Alessandro Camon, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on 2009’s The Messenger. The film is produced by Wren Arthur, Buscemi, Oren Moverman, Lauren Hantz, and Thompson. John Hantz, Eddie Vaisman, Julia Lebedev, and Suzanne Warren serve as executive producers, with Billy Mulligan, Kat Barnette, and Joyce Pierpolin on as co-produces.
Steve Buscemi’s Personal Connection to The Listener
Buscemi became known throughout the 1990s for roles in films like Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, Robert Rodriguez’s Desperado, Con Air, Michael Bay’s Armageddon. He is also well-known for his multiple collaborations with the Coen brothers films including Barton Fink, The Hudsucker Proxy, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski. In 1996, Buscemi made his writing and feature directorial debut with the ensemble comedy drama Trees Lounge. Buscemi went on to helm the films Animal Factory, Lonesome Jim, Interview, and has also served as a director on episodes of series including The Sopranos, Oz, 30 Rock, Portlandia, and Nurse Jackie. The Listener marks Buscemi’s fifth directorial feature.
The famed actor, producer, and director spoke about the film’s importance during an interview with Variety last year. Buscemi’s wife of 30 years, Jo Andres, passed away in 2019 and Buscemi told the publication that during the film’s pre-production he called a helpline to talk about his late wife:
“At first, it was in the name of research,” he told Variety. “I had these dreams in the night involving my late wife, and it was reason enough for me to call. I had an amazing 15-minute talk with this person. I’ll never know who she was, and I never told her who I was. I just talked about Jo, and it was important.”
Buscemi added that the film sends a powerful message of support for those struggling and that “help is out there, and we can help each other. The grieving process is not linear. It’s a different journey for everyone.”
The Listener also strives to bring awareness to 988, a now active, new three-digit code that routes callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, where they are connected to trained counselors that can provide support and resources.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
