"Cashback" was originally a 2005 Oscar-nominated short. Surreal, dreamy, and often quite funny, it was a great looking piece of cinema art by English writer/director Sean Ellis, who later expanded it to this feature-length film. He includes most of the original short into this film, and also manages to effectively maintain the same look and tone while incorporating it into a more conventional story. It's still a great piece of work, and one of the most charming romantic comedies I've seen in a long, long time.

Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff) is an introspective art student who suffers from chronic insomnia after a break-up with his girlfriend. To help pass the hours, he takes a job at a local supermarket during the graveyard shift. A good deal of the movie is about how he and his various loony co-workers pass the monotonous hours during their shifts. As for Willis, he imagines he can literally freeze time, and can freely function between the ticks of a clock, allowing him to not only capture his particular obsession on canvas (the nude female form), but appreciate the beauty of a single moment, especially with regards to co-worker Sharon (Emilia Fox), whom he eventually falls in love with (thus curing his insomnia). I'm making "Cashback" sound like a fantasy, and indeed, it is loaded with wonderfully surreal moments. But that would be selling the film short. Whether or not Willis can actually freeze time (even when the film suggests so) isn't really important. The film is ultimately about relationships, both intimate and estranged, sexual and platonic, and the time-freezing aspect is simply a tool for living within a single moment. But even that isn't an accurate description for a movie that manages to an art film, a raunchy comedy, a surreal fantasy and a charming character study all in one package. It must also be noted that "Cashback" is loaded with explicit female nudity ; we get the impression director Ellis is as obsessed with the female form as his main character. But, in keeping true to Willis' character, such scenes are mostly tasteful, less concerned with leering at breasts and butts than presenting women as living pieces of art. But ultimately, "Cashback" is simply a wonderfully entertaining film, with great performances, likable characters (even those who are shallow and self-centered) a terrific script and outstanding cinematography.

Much of the appeal of the film is how it looks, and this disc sports a great image. Ellis looks to be one of those directors who makes the most of the widescreen canvas (perhaps more than any young director since John Carpenter), and its evident here, especially with his effective use of color, tracking-shots and slow-motion. The audio is rendered only in 2.0 Dolby. It's effective enough, but nothing outstanding.

Included is a 20 minute making-of featurette, as well as the original 2005 short film.

Unlike the original short, this feature length version of "Cashback" is a crowd-pleasing picture disguised as an art film. It is sometimes moody, arty and surreal, but also charming, raunchy and laugh-out-loud funny, with interesting characters and a great story that puts a unique spin on the traditional romantic comedy. All-in-all, a unique, one-of-a-kind movie, and very highly recommended.