A TELEPHONE CALL FOR GENEVIEVE SNOW | Omeleto Horror

A lonely woman gets a call from a mysterious stranger.
A TELEPHONE CALL FOR GENEVIEVE SNOW is used with permission from Peter Long. Learn more at peterlongdesign.com.
Genevieve Snow is a proper, modest young woman who teaches piano at a school, where she resides with other proper, modest young women. They are supervised -- or perhaps guarded -- by a stern, irascible older headmistress, who even rules over the school phone. Within this stultifying environment, Genevieve wilts in an unsatisfying life, a spinster looking down the barrel of a lonely existence.
One day, Genevieve is spotted by a man named Nigel driving past the school, who hears her summoned over the intercom. He decides to call her, and they have a conversation that is strange, intriguing and sinister. Intrigued, she continues her telephone correspondence with mysterious Nigel, which becomes stranger and more oddly seductive with each contact. When he finally reveals his ultimate secret, their mutual attraction may lead to fatal consequences.
Written and directed by Peter Long, this moody, surreal short drama achieves an intriguingly sinister and hypnotic spell, much like the same one exerted by the enigmatic caller that captivates the mousy, lonely titular character.
Nigel's spell over Genevieve is cast by the almost narcotic cadence of his language and suggestive, insinuating thoughts, and the craftsmanship also achieves a similar opiate-like quality through its singular dialogue and darkly beguiling imagery, rendered in beautifully gloomy black-and-white cinematography.
The storytelling takes its time establishing its rules of engagement for the audience, slowly constructing Genevieve's uniquely cloistered, stultifying world and her sense of isolation. The visuals are reminiscent of Fellini with their luminous use of black and white and their mix of the darkly fantastical, and like Fellini, the film has a dreamlike feel. The strange phone calls Genevieve begins receiving from Nigel, however, hint at a bigger, more peculiar world for her, full of strange fixations and appetites that are off-putting. But in such a circumscribed world, Nigel's attention is also flattering. Actor Beth Buchanan captures with delicacy and understatement how Genevieve falls under Nigel's spell, and her arc also guides the narrative shift into a strange, odd love story -- one that will transport Genevieve outside of her milieu, with grisly consequences.
Released in 2000 and the winner of the Silver Lion for Best Short Film at Venice that year, A TELEPHONE CALL FOR GENEVIEVE SNOW has an elongation of rhythm and narrative that feels classic and almost old-fashioned -- a style before digitized filming and editing made the lightning-paced, effects-laden style we're now used to possible, perhaps. But that more languorous, sensuous rhythm is part of the spell cast by this retelling of the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. It explores the classic allure of darkness and deviance, a set of impulses that have always bedeviled humanity throughout its recorded history. In a world so limited by social convention and expectations, such impulses seem to persist through the crack of civilized society and pull at us with their siren call.

[@magnetdesignandadver]

Genevieve is indeed a very attractive lady. Men must be blind not to have noticed her. 'When do cannibals get to leave the table?" LOL Great acting. Love the head mistress. More black and white retro vibes please

[@CommonSenseRevolution]

Beth Buchanan shines as Genevieve. Awesome acting. A compelling watch. Well done!

[@rachelkadimann4160]

If Natalie Portman and Helena Bonham Carter had a daughter

[@12MRJERSEY]

Dear Omeleto, Please bring us more horror shorts. Thanks

[@yomomma8237]

PUHLEAAAAASSSEEE

[@clasencoach]

Amazing cinematography. A looot of work put into this, and it is beautifully executed!

[@jamesharper9710]

In 9:53 the woman in blue shouted “SHUT UP YOU FAT PIG” to the butcher while she was writing in her book. That had me cracking up 😆

[@unknownsamuri]

Wtf are you talking about?

[@magnetdesignandadver]

wrong film James

[@jamesharper9710]

@@magnetdesignandadver oh?

[@magnetdesignandadver]

@@jamesharper9710 This one is all in black and white. Where did the blue come from?

[@bradleys8649]

This was a really good short film with the tone, camera shots, black & white lighting, the music, and the acting. But what are some of your theories? I think my conclusions on the possibilities are: - Genevieve and Nigel murdered someone to feast upon who they think deserved to die and are consuming the victim. Genevieve and Nigel both like dogs, and Gennie has sentiments on how they are treated as Nigel emphasizes this on the phone on how sometimes humans deserve to die with the animal abuse they inflict while making clues that he is a cannibal which Gennie made a remark upon that offended him. Gennie probably assisted him to make Nigel feel better while curious about how the meat tastes like and saving a dog from possible abuse to cope with her history. -Genevieve is dead and Michael is eating her body. This is what I think most likely and sadly must have happened as Nigel seems to be a Psychopathic Cannibal that manipulates his prey for "Lamb to slaughter" (some references to this and red riding hood in the film). He knows by watching her that Genevieve must be a frustrated woman with how protective the institute is and how her body language acts on site yearning for some sort of 'excitement'. By finding a victim to feed his sexual/literal appetite he spins a tale and image of a well-wisher that has a sympathetic outlook towards Gennie which she lacked. from her surrounding. After being obsessed with his target and successfully luring her to the inevitable, He kills yet another victim and prepares her meat for food ripping into it while hallucinating that she is with him staying by his side. These are some of my takeaways but let me know if you picked up anything else

[@monicakelly6273]

Did you watch the whole short film? It seems you have not, big twist at the end.

[@bradleys8649]

@@monicakelly6273 I did, Feel free to elaborate.

[@pituyop]

i thought of your second theory too!

[@Aegisaone]

Poor girl ... Pure heart ....

[@paulbraunstein2290]

I know; you can tell she’s a sweetie. A lot of these omeleto stories display how women are victims throughout history. Many of these series are very sad

[@mexican1015]

Does anyone else like the song at the end? Lol

[@user-ed9pu3cy4y]

I do!!! But I can't find the song's name.

[@catweasle5737]

She is very pretty.

[@evek1057]

For a minute there I thought it was headed in one direction and then the twist at the end, phew.

[@clasencoach]

Subtitles would have been helpful. Especially for the seductive parts of the dialogue. Very hard to actually understand.

[@scummymummy2548]

Why was that dog trying to stand on the other dog in the beginning?

[@magnetdesignandadver]

LOL

[@paulbraunstein2290]

Why do they always begin describing her and say, “would you like to eat…?” It is quite unsettling to me. I’m sure there was an objective. Also, was she simply so desperate she fell in love with this cannibal? So sad bc many girls (guys too) are victims of manipulation

[@VerryRichmonTV]

Great work.

[@paulbraunstein2290]

EXTREMELY unsettling…My brain is telling me “Jim, I’m gonna yeet outta Omeleto for a while.” Thing is, my name’s not Jim.

[@jobisselle2861]

Very good!

[@KimberlyLetsGo]

the director is....Peter long

[@rokyy4]

Holy head trip.

[@stevehutchinson3679]

Oooooooooo.....Omeleto..🥶... I got chills..

[@kurtweiand7086]

Yeah lm so glad it ended this way!😁

[@clarsach29]

I loved this...so skillfully crafted and assembled, with superb acting performances and settings....a strange, unsettling film which told the oddest of love stories but which had a satisfying ending

[@temperance1211]

Loved it... but :( I don't get what /who they are eating?

[@yourmotherwasahamster8875]

I think he's seeing her ghost while he eats her

[@ajh757]

Idk. I think they killed someone together. Her obsession with him and her comments to him on what it would be like to eat someone...

[@dominion2343]

❤❤❤❤ 👏👏👏👏

[@ribs3910]

Do more horror

[@pnsq8094]

malayali

[@naveenmb3774]

❤

[@paulbraunstein2290]

What was the point of the sweets?

[@therealJamieJoy]

From what I can tell the cakes are called "lamingtons" and it may be a play on words because she said she thought humans might taste like lamb.

[@candycane45]

Um..ok. Weird.

[@blackwidow7076]

Cannibalism 😈

[@stevechow2992]

"How to turn off someone from continuing to watch your movie?"... Easy... start with old creepy lady staring at you. I'm OUT!!!!!

[@fscottfitzgerald115]

Weak.

[@rickblessing2447]

Can't use the horror flicks. Reality today has that covered well enough.

[@WitchidWitchid]

I hear you. For me my day to day reality is a horror flick.

[@nyrick999]

Where is the horror? She left to live with some guy. And?

[@monicakelly6273]

and...? eat people...he fantasized about it, she did it.

[@rygarbensen3953]

This is in no shape or way horror. Maybe drama. Disappointed.

[@craigmilton9892]

Most folks would consider cannibalism horror but hey, each to their own I suppose.

[@scummymummy2548]

This movie from the 50's is not good.