Having attended a local theater's showing of the 2020 Oscar Shorts (Live Action) this was by far the best of the set in a particularly good year for the category. Within the first 60 seconds of the movie you immediately understand the very serious danger the main character (a woman who is a passenger in a man's car). The tension only builds from there. Even in a small theater the absolute stillness from the audience was palpable.
What is especially great here is the utter economy of how this story is told, along with an absolutelying perfect performance of the woman on the other end of the line (a police call operator). The pacing is likewise spot on, being long enough to build the story and draw out the tension, yet short enough to keep everything compact.
The short that did win that year was great as well, in fact several were, but this is one that you came away most changed by.