Cashback

An OK film, it raises funnily and cleverly the questions of sex, beauty and the private moments of life. Nevertheless, I have just discovered this film a couple of weeks ago during a visit at the video store and you know what my first thought was after reading the summary of the film on the DVD cover ? "This is Nicholson Baker ! And not a single mention of it !" I read the ""Fermata in 2004 and the book upon the shelves of my library offered the possibility to share views with the help of pieces of paper between the pages, I believe it is what you call book crossing. This book, although I don't read that much, provided a great sensation because in my adolescence, I vividly wanted that kind of freezing power to undress women. Nicholson Baker has had the art of translating a common human (male especially) fantasy, I believe. I know ever since he did it again by imagining a man desirous to kill George W. Bush in "Checkpoint" after seeing the news in Iraq ! Even if many of us had that kind of fantasy, I doubt Sean Ellis was unaware of the Fermata in the process of writing Cashback, therefore, he should have added an ounce of gratitude to Baker. According to what I read on the Internet, I'm not the only one thinking that way.

For such a short film (15 minutes), 'Cashback' offered quite a lot.

It is about staff who work the night shift at a supermarket and the stuff they get up to. Then we see what Ben's imagination is to pass time.

There are a few laughs and all the cast do a very good job. The short film is extremely well made and does have a message. The atmosphere builds up as it goes on so it really draws you in.

At 15 minutes, you don't have much to lose, just give it a try. I enjoyed it but I don't think I saw enough to make me want to watch the full length version which was released two years later.

Don't watch if full frontal nudity will offend you.

7/10.

When I first watched this movie I couldn't get past the nudity enough to see the art. I watched it again and started to see that the nudes were so perfect they were more like mannequins than anything else. How can a movie about night-fill at a supermarket possibly be any good? Add Sean Biggerstaff , humour, and an outstanding writer/director such as Sean Ellis, and you get the perfect mix. Sean Ellis, in his first attempt at movie making, takes you on a journey that perfectly mixes art ( nudity, lighting, Ben's drawings), with humour. One can easily see that Sean Ellis has a great career ahead of him. One can only hope for more like him still to come! The amount of detail put into such a short amount of time certainly makes the film worthy of all the awards it has received at various festivals. The new one is now finished and ready for distribution. I'm looking forward to seeing the full length film now!

I dont really know what to think about this short. Its a student in art who studying the female beauty and the relation of time. Pretty. Interesting anyway but it was too short in my opinion. It contains some nudity because the student is interested by feminity. I enjoyed it anyway but too short in my opinion.

Sainsburys, the night shift, nothing could be more dull. What could be worse than a movie about this seemingly mindnumbingly boring activity. However, from the very first moment, the movie grabs your attention and puts you in the shoes of Ben.

The shots are done with style and panache and particularly effective is the use of the bleak, artificial supermarket lighting which throws this whole surreal, sleepless world into perspective. Also effective is the portrayal of the nude women who are almost alien in their stillness and with their flawless features. Sean Biggerstaff is a real asset to the film as his flawless acting and his narration especially complement the film to a great extent. The comedy elements coupled with the creation of a unique atmosphere make this film what it is. However, the imagination and the simple fact that so many ideas are crammed into the fifteen or so minutes of this short really make this film incredible.