Cashback Review

This rather lovely full-length version of his award-winning short showcases Shaun Ellis’ aesthetic eye for even the most ordinary subject. Art student Ben (a wide-eyed Biggerstaff) turns his sleepless nights into ‘cashback’, working at Sainsbury’s, and using his mysterious power to stop time and strip female shoppers naked. But this is no tits and ass farce; here the copious nudity is natural and innocent, Ben painting the frozen moments with intricacy and care. His attraction to shop-girl Sharon (Fox) follows this exploration of beauty, and her heavy-lidded look and lightly world-weary way is ideal for the role. Cashback retains the feel of a short film, extended by flashbacks to Ben’s nudity-obsessed youth, allowing us to move through time as effortlessly as Ben is able to pause it. Still, the scant, lightweight plot holds it back from true greatness.