Review of Cashback (2007) by Natalie M — 15 Feb 2009

It's strange how there can be absolute gems of films that you never heard of, just there on cable. I had never heard of this, but I like Emilia Fox and so I thought I would give it a try. It's beautifully filmed, with lovely Mozart music playing over certain scenes.

It is the story of a nice looking art student (played by the guy who played Oliver Wood in Harry Potter) and his breakup from that "You're not my mother!" Slater girl from Eastenders. He cannot sleep and so takes a job on night shift in Sainsbury's.

The demographics of the night shift seem unlikely - it's central London and yet all the staff are white. Emilia Fox is one of them, and she seems just a bit miscast, as she is an absolutely gorgeous looking woman with a cut-glass RP accent, and the kind of character she plays, a haphazard beautician-turned-check out assistant seems kind of incongruous.

There's some magic realism in the film in that the hero is capable of stopping time. It's a very slow paced film in which not a lot happens. But I didn't mind, so that was its charm. A wonderful film which deserves a bit more fame, and maybe an Oscar or two.