Cashback (2006)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sean Ellis

Writer:

Sean Ellis (writer)

Release Date:

17 January 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Sometimes love is hiding between the seconds of your life

Plot:

After a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. To kill time, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket, where his artistic imagination runs wild.

Plot Keywords:

Art | Insomnia | Night Shift | Supermarket | Student

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Sean Biggerstaff	...	Ben Willis
Emilia Fox	...	Sharon Pintey
Shaun Evans	...	Sean Higgins
Michelle Ryan	...	Suzy
Stuart Goodwin	...	Jenkins
Michael Dixon	...	Barry Brickman
Michael Lambourne	...	Matt Stephens
Marc Pickering	...	Brian 'Kung-Fu'
Frank Hesketh	...	Young Ben Willis
Erica Ellis	...	Canteen Lady
Kenneth Fahy	...	Art Class Life Model
Stan Ellis	...	Art Class Teacher
Katie Ball	...	Art Class Girl
Celesta Hodge	...	Deer Girl in Sainsbury's
Nia Roberts	...	Woman at the Till

Also Known As:

Cashback (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic nudity, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

102 min | Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:Unrated | Australia:MA | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | USA:R | Singapore:R21 | Singapore:M18 (edited version) | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-13 | Germany:12 | Japan:R-15 | Argentina:16 | UK:18 | Sweden:Btl | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Left Turn Films

Trivia:

The single shot of Ben falling from the payphone into bed was done in camera and a whole day to film out of the 25 day shooting schedule.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the middle of the soccer match, when the altercation takes place, the clock counts down to 8:33. The camera cuts away, and in the next view of the scoreboard, the clock is 9:09.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ben Willis: It take approximately 500 lbs to crush a human skull. But the human emotion is a much more delicate thing. Take Suzy, my first real girl friend. My first real break-up, happening right in front of me. I never thought it was going to be similar to a car crash...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features Left Turn (2001)

Soundtrack:

Bolero

A sweet little masterpiece

I attended the world premiere of "Cashback" at the Toronto International Film Festival. I walked out in a daze. I had a feeling I'd seen something special, that moment when you have to pause to take a breath and reflect on what you've experienced. I still had about 20 films to go at the time, and "Cashback" raised the bar and became the benchmark against which all the others would have to be compared. As it turned out, nothing came close. Of the 30 plus films I saw that week, "Cashback" tops the list.

Literally built around the short film of the same name which screened at festivals in 2004, triple threat writer/director/producer Sean Ellis did something ingenious. Rather than take his 20 minute piece and expand it to fill 90 minutes, he created a new Act One and Act Three to bookend a reworking of the original short in the center. And he pulled it off with a tour de force of light and sound. The result is an eerie, compelling twist on the classic Outer Limits episode where time stops while the protagonist weaves in and out of the frozen characters in another dimension. It may sound like sci-fi, but this is a sweet romantic comedy whose storyline is among the most original I've ever seen on screen. The concept is brilliant and the result magnificent.

The look is lush, cinematography by Angus Hudson breathtaking, and "Cashback" features an appropriately sweet score. They combine to give this low budget project a big movie feel, destined for the wide audience it deserves.

Most of all, I believe "Cashback" is the vehicle which will introduce newcomer Sean Biggerstaff (Oliver Wood of "Harry Potter") to the world. His star tun in this film as protagonist Ben Willis left me speechless. The camera loves him, and he is on screen virtually from opening to closing credits. This film is his to make or break. It rests on his shoulders, and he owns the material.

As they say, you'll laugh, you'll cry, and I walked out with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. And no other film I saw at the Toronto Film Festival did that to me. "Cashback" is a sweet little masterpiece.