Parents' Guide to The Listener

Sometimes movies can be described as "too talky," but other times talky movies can be magical—as is the case for this lovely drama. The Listener embraces the simple acts of opening up, unburdening your soul, and listening. Directed by actor Steve Buscemi and shot over the course of only six days, the movie is set in a single location and features just one actor on-screen. And she was chosen well. Thompson is great in big movies (Bianca in the Creed movies, Valkyrie in the Marvel movies, etc.), but she really excels in more intimate films, like Little Woods, Sylvie's Love, Passing, or this. She has great power but also a great tenderness, capable of doing so much with the slightest movements. (When we think of acting, we think of talking; Thompson is great at listening.)

The voice cast—which includes Logan Marshall-Green, Margaret Cho, Rebecca Hall, and Alia Shawkat (although you might not recognize them)—are also right on point, telling their sad or angry stories with searing honesty. The screenplay by Alessandro Camon (The Messenger, Bullet to the Head) may seem randomly assembled—it doesn't necessarily build—but the content is rich and effective, from the briefest of calls to the longest. But the true power of The Listener is the connection it establishes between Beth and her callers, the emotional power of these simple transactions. It's palpable and hard to resist. It's a great way to take a break from the noise of life and just ... listen.