Movie | Cashback | Pass

This was a recommendation from a friend - thanks MK!

A young art student is suffering the after effects of a breakup with his girlfriend. He can't sleep at all. Eventually, he gets a job at a local supermarket, trading his insomnia for "cashback" (thus, the title). The sleeplessness continues, time starts to warp and finds himself comfortable in that frozen place.

Every little detail is meticulously formed in this movie, often to an almost painful state. I made me feel like I was watching a claymation, enjoying the visuals but knowing that it took days, months and even years to get one little scene shot. It makes for a rather sterile ambiance, which the director/writer makes excellent usage of.

Yet, the only thing that's disposable about this movie is the title. Surely they could have come up with a better one, something as poetic as the entire rest of the film. And don't call me Shirley.

The large amount of nudity was interesting, too. It makes perfect sense within the story given that he's a painter of nudes, but it almost (and I mean, aaaaalmoooost) crosses over into voyeuristic creepiness. But not quite. The justification is the same as standing and staring at a Renoir.

That quality of riding the very fine edge of a razor blade permeates the movie and made it an exceptional experience for me. This drama (and mild comedy) is for mature adults only, though there are no gross-out moments (okay, one - a bloody nose).

Two thumbs up.