July 21, 2007

Cashback Review

(Posted In Comedy DVD News Drama Reviews Sci-Fi / Fantasy Toronto Film Festival 2006 UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand )

cashback1.jpg[With the DVD release of Cashback hitting Canada on July 24th now seems a good time to revisit the film. What follow is Kurt's review of the film from when it played at the Toronto International Film Festival with some words on the DVD thrown in for good measure.]

Put on your raincoats ladies and gentlemen, because I am about to gush very, very hard for Cashback. This British romantic dramedy focuses on the same early 20s transition from school to 'real life' as Kevin Smith's original Clerks or Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff’s Ghost World. What makes this one stand out with those films is how it treats the subject with a visual wit as accomplished as modern visual stylists Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Danny Boyle and David Fincher. The resulting film is the pitch perfect blend of high and low culture (Don Carlos to Coldplay if you will) to yield a feel-good film which earns its romantic elements. It is a rare film which chooses not to angrily condemn plastic suburban culture in the western world, but look hard and find small beautiful things amongst the banal. There is a detached joy at work in the film which slowly sheds the former and finds the latter. It is a hopeful movie for those looking to find their way in life, even as it simultaneously exists as a wish fulfillment fantasy. Director Sean Ellis loves to celebrate things as even more beautiful when there is a flaw or two.

The film opens with a close-up on a girls face as she angrily breaks up with Art-school freshman Ben. This is done is slow motion, her perfect lips fluttering in curse words that Ben explains are a tad hard on his fragile ego. The breakup has such an effect that Ben begins to suffer from massive insomnia and detachment from everyday life. Because he is up all night, he takes a McJob at the local gigantic supermarket to make some money with all of his depressing spare time. Once in this job, he does not engage in the juvenile practical jokes of his co-workers or try to avoid looking at the clock (which makes time move slower). No, his technique of making the endless empty activity of the supermarket job pass by is a strange one. Ben gains the ability to stop time and walk around the store looking at the various patrons, frozen now in ‘still life,’ he draws portraits of the woman he unclothes while frozen. A form of visual and thematic time travel worthy of Chris Marker’s La Jetee, this is where the film is quite magical. The act of unclothing and drawing the (gorgeous: 11 on a scale of 1 to 10) women he unclothes is done simply and maturely. There is very full nudity, but it is more erotic than lusty, and all the more fascinating with the bright fluorescent lights of the supermarket; hundreds of packaged goods in the background. These women are the fashion magazine goddesses, flawless examples of perfection, who are engaged in mundane, not-typically-sexy positions. This sort of natural eroticism ends up being sublimely effective. It was no surprise to find out that the director was a fashion photographer for his day job. Here

Another pursuit Ben has at the supermarket is one of the check-out girls. Sharon is also quite serious compared to the rest of the night shift employees. When her and Ben begin to go on dates (as idealized as they are), the actors carry it off with a very natural rhythm of dialogue. You believe it and have faith that young folks can be so mature in their interaction, and trusting to share their dreams. It is the ultimate romantic film for guys, in the rarefied sphere of Nick Hornsby and Steven Frears' High Fidelity.

Cashback has a breezy chapter structure, but you sense there is not a wasted frame. The picture was obviously as rigorously planned as the perfect special effects, but it flows effortlessly between vignettes of Bens childhood discoveries of sexuality, to art school classes the supermarket to a hilariously funny footy match between franchises of the chain. The humor is both smart (Bens explanation of the double meaning of the word ‘crush’, and physical, even the visual gags (one involving a suggestively shaped shampoo bottle) work.

It is a heck of a lot better than similar themed Garden State, and the performances from all the actors are sublime. I fully expect Sean Ellis to get some wider notice with this movie. While the film may not aim to find the long dark night of the soul, or address many of the other more complex challenges of that time in many peoples lives, it is in no way pretentious, sappy, or otherwise flawed. As perfect as many of the women in the film, Cashback is a gem waiting to be discovered.

--------------------------------------------------

And on to the DVD ... the transfer, happily, is excellent, the print source crisp and clear and the film presented anamorphically in its proper 2.35:1 ratio. No complaints here whatsoever. Sadly, though, the transfer is all there is. The disc includes only the film itself, French and English soundtracks (both 5.1), and the trailer. And that's it. Nothing else at all, which seems a missed opportunity.

» Posted by Kurt at July 21, 2007 05:42 PM
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Reader Comments

anywhere i can get a trailer of this?
sounds intresting :)

» Posted by Hobbs at September 12, 2006 08:34 PM

I really disliked the short that spawned this film so I have my doubts. Comparing Sean Ellis' visual sense to that of Jeanut, Boyle and Fincher is the worst kind of exageration. Granted I haven't seen the film but from what I've read elsewhere the feature is very much an extension of the short. So I won't be going out of my way to see this, but who knows maybe I'll catch it eventually just out of passing curiosity.

» Posted by ijaffery at September 12, 2006 09:30 PM

I've not seen the short, so we do not have a frame of reference here, but while aesthetic of the film is similar to Danny Boyle (especially Millions) and Fincher (More Panic Room than Seven)...Juenet's sense of the romantic and the possible are on display here, even if his gallic/gothic look and feel are not. And no, I do not make those comparisons lightly, this film is a marvel.

» Posted by Kurt at September 12, 2006 09:43 PM

Wow, haven't been keeping up with this project, and very surprised that it's already screening. . .I loved the original short film, mainly for it's visuals component and can not wait to see this feature version.

» Posted by Carl at September 13, 2006 10:53 AM

Can nobody spell Jeunet correctly? :P

» Posted by Bob at September 13, 2006 02:57 PM

Cool review Kurt.
I have seen the short and I thought it was very well done. Everything was well chosen from the casting, to the camera work and the musical score. The nude scenes were a suprising yet beautiful detail.

Does anyone know if the full movie length version will come out in Australia??

» Posted by Nic at September 14, 2006 05:47 AM

the team is still talking to distributors - this thing will be global - try to see it at toronto - this is the first public screening worldwide -
and you can view the short on this link
http://www.zed.cbc.ca/go?c=ZedCandidCashback

or you can download from iTunes website -
click on link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=128716749&s=143441

» Posted by ernest james at September 14, 2006 07:08 AM

Saw it at Toronto this weekend and I was not dissappointed. Granted I went to see Sean Biggerstaff for the most part but having not seen the short let me see the feature with fresh eyes and I was very impressed. Although some will find the excesssive nudity offensive it is not meant to be objectified in any way, as a woman myself I saw it more as a compliment to the female form. The film was also well received by the rest of the audience I saw it with and from the publicity it has been getting in many of the Toronto papers I imagine that this will at least be getting a limited release in N. America, Europe and Australia, at least in arthouse theatres I would imagine.

SLIGHT SPOILER!
If you get the chance to see it I recommend it, it was a nice foray into a guy's point of view when he sees a girl that captivates him that she slowly begins to occupy his thoughts rather than those of his ex.

» Posted by Jackie at September 18, 2006 02:19 PM

this movie is realy good man thank you

» Posted by ali veli at March 27, 2007 03:05 PM

the 90-minute feature film is now available on Amazon.com

this film is awesome - the best romantic comedy i've seen in ages

» Posted by ernie at June 9, 2007 12:34 PM

Hmm.. I think this actually streets on Tuesday fellas (in the US at least) via Magnolia. I could be mistaken, but I think it's another one of those awkward Marc Cuban simultaneous Landmark theater/DVD releases also.

» Posted by jandrew at July 21, 2007 10:35 PM

I saw Cashback in the theater in Denver yesterday. I agree with the review. It is charming romantic comedy that doesn't dumb down the emotional toll of relationships, but also makes you laugh at the most simple things. In some ways it reminded me of old John Hughes' films like Weird Science, and Sixteen Candles. At other times it was so profound that it reminded me bold romances like The Science of Sleep or Once. All of the performances are terrific. I think this film is destined to be a cult classic deserving of many midnight viewings. I'm disappointed to hear that the DVD is so spartan. That means I'll probably buy it used instead of new.

» Posted by Alex at July 22, 2007 01:37 PM

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