The Guilty

Police Officer Joe takes 911 calls on duty. Although he accepts these calls, we often see how he loses his composure and patience with callers. He often judges the inconsequence of the problems these people face until Emily calls him. Emily blurts out her location and the danger she finds herself in. Disclosure of information is ambiguous. Joe has to fill in the blanks in many places. Emily pretends to be talking to her daughter, when in fact she is calling 911. Joe feels the fragility and shakiness of Emily's situation and therefore begins to ask her "yes" and "no" questions. He formulates his assumptions based on a fragmentary conversation with Emily. Joe comes to the conclusion that a woman named Emily was abducted by her ex-husband/partner, and her two children were left alone at home and are in serious danger. He immediately informs the patrol officers of all the information he has. Then he calls Abby, Emily's six-year-old daughter. She says that her younger brother Oliver is sleeping in the room, and she is terrified that her mother left her alone. For some reason, Joe becomes personally interested in this case, and we see him doing things that go beyond his work. As the story unfolds, the mystery behind this cop is revealed. We learn that his irrational anger and overwhelming frustration stem from something deeper. The surface withers and cracks open, and we finally see a glimpse of a disguised sense of guilt.