You may never know who is on the other line whenever you call 911. Of course, that all depends on the emergency. Some of the time it’s not all that serious. But when it is, the responder may go to great lengths to save a life. At least that’s the impression you get when seeing the first trailer for Netflix’s “The Guilty.” The film, directed by Antonie Fuqua, sees Jake Gyllenhaal as a 911 responder who finds himself trying to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
Oddly enough, the trailer gives us a time and place as to the film’s setting, which reflects Los Angeles’ fire season, and the complications it brings to how 911 has to respond to certain emergencies and how rescuers may be hindered by weather limitations. Additionally, it looks like much of the film is isolating as it is only center on Gyllenhaal’s character’s efforts to rescue this person who is largely unseen.
Additionally, “The Guilty” had entered production during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, which meant the cast and crew had very little to work with. So much so that the cast didn’t see each other, they had to shoot in a single location, and Fuqua himself had to direct in a nearby van after he was diagnosed with the Conornavirus.
As one could imagine, shooting a film like “The Guilty” under those cirmcumstances has its challenges. However, it looks like Fuqua, Gyllenhaal, and the rest of the cast and crew managed to pull it off.
Here’s the official plot synopsis to “The Guilty:”
The film takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
“The Guilty” opens in select theaters on September 24 and on Netflix October 1.
