When it comes to independent movies, there is some risk involved in rating its content because you have to keep in mind it might not have the same budget as other productions. But when you have a script that looks like it was written by a teenager who just discovered the meaning of profanity, it leaves you questioning whether the content is worth enough to give it a chance to shine. Final Caller is a film that questions whether independent cinema is made out of passion or out of boredom.

Roland (Douglas Epps) is a radio host that rather enjoys yelling with angst instead of speaking coherently– his level of voice is between Rick Sanchez and a screaming goat. His way of seeing the world assimilates his way of treating anyone who gets in front of him: with the tip of his foot ready to kick them. One night, during his late night show, a stranger calls the radio station making unusual statements permeated by his religious fanaticism. During these calls, Roland insults the stranger, and the stranger’s response isn’t the most favorable for his victims since for each insult received he decides to take a life. What happens after that event is a mixture of twists and turns that eliminate the correlation between space and time, creating more villains than heroes in a storm of raging egos where absolutely no one can win.

Final Caller is something trying too hard to be relevant by supposedly being edgy, unique and unruly forgetting a mess can also be beautiful but, in this case, a mess stays a mess. It has a sexist spirit that not even gender ideologies could help it find balance between good and bad. Even the dialogue makes the Hellboy reboot look like a PG version because of its excess of profanity, leaving in doubt if a script is smart for including cuss in a deliberate or timely manner– in this case, there is no such thing because there are no limits. Every single one of the characters is rather playing around with the volumes of their voice or simply yelling out every line. 

The only credit to its favor is its creative use of gore in the kill scenes, and there’s nothing else about it. But even when it comes to the editing, there are very notorious errors in it such as duplicated sequences that challenge the continuity of the timeline, leaving in question whether it was due to an honest mistake or a simple lack of footage to cover its tracks.

If over-the-top elementary-school acting is your thing, then maybe Final Caller could be your ideal choice. It has a respectable amount of gore that most fans of it will be delighted to watch– it delivers a creative way on the abuse of its only well-structured element. This movie might be worthy for some viewers, I even think it might have a decent following due to the director’s long track record. But it is a matter of acquired taste if you decide to give this product that comes out of the bowels of any given Sunday a chance.

2 OUT OF 10 BROOMSTICKS