Cashback

So this movie sat in my Netflix queue for a long time because at one point I’d thought it looked interesting and put in there but then passed it up every time I chose a movie because the cover art didn’t look that interesting. On the advice of a friend who really liked it, I decided to watch it and ended up loving it.

The plot is fairly simple; a young college student realizes that he has the ability to stop time after a bad breakup with a girlfriend while becoming an insomniac. In order to deal with the extra twelve hours of time he is awake, he takes an overnight job at a local grocery store. He then begins to understand himself better and creates lasting relationships while understanding his newfound talent.

The plot is incredibly unique and genuine. The characters are highly believable and only a few are slightly stereotypical. The main character develops and finds himself during the movie but the rest are rather static and simple. Although the idea of time manipulation sounds cheesy and immature, the plot is actually very smart and witty.

The cinematography was just beautiful throughout. There is an incredible shot which probably lasts 20 second where the main character moves seamlessly from a pay phone into his bed which was probably the coolest shot in the entire movie. It was one of those shots you sometimes find in movies that just put you in awe and you can’t help but respect, or at least for me. I really enjoyed the soft filter on the film and the unique camera angles.

The two leads of the movie, Sean Biggerstaff and Emilia Fox, did a really great job with their roles and really brought the movie to life. At different parts of the movie I kept thinking to myself how they looked like young college kids in some scenes but older in others. Later did I find out that this was actually first an award winning short film which the director/writer then made into a feature film by adding on the already shot footage from the short film. I’ve never know of a feature that was created this way, but it just makes the movie even that much cooler. The rest of the characters are entertaining but it was really the two leads who really made sure the movie was on this side of non-annoying and believable.

This movie really did a great job in all aspects, with smart writing, unique plot, beautiful cinematography, and good acting. I ended up really liking this film. Even though the cover of the movie doesn’t hint at the awesomeness of this movie, it really is enjoyable. You do have to be ok with female nudity however. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys quirky cinematically astounding British films. “Crush. It’s funny how the same word for the feeling of disappointed can be used for the feeling of attraction.” -- Cashback.