The Shift

When it comes to films that involve time travel, rime dimension, multiple worlds, and the like, confusion and the propensity to enter into paradoxes and becoming disjointed, can certainly ensue. Films like "The Time Machine", "Back to the Future", "Dr. Strange", "Everything Everywhere All At Once",and the like, can, in and of themselves be captivating films, however, attempting to write a cohesive screenplay can, and does quite often, become a daunting task, As with "The Shift", it is an interesting concept as long as all the pieces can come together in a honed script.

In this modern day retelling of Job, Kevin Garner (Kristoffer Polaha) embarks on a journey across worlds and dimensions to reunite with Molly (Elizabeth Tabish), his true love. The narrative unfolds as a dystopian drama and sci-fi thriller, where a mysterious adversary, The Benefactor (Neal McDonough), disrupts Kevin's reality. Faced with infinite worlds and impossible choices, Kevin must navigate through an ultimate reality, resisting The Benefactor's tempting over of wealth and power. As survival hangs in the balance, Kevin fights to return to the familiar world he cherishes and the woman he loves.

Others to round out the cast are Sean Astin as Gabriel, Emily Rose as Tabitha, Rose Reid as Tina, John Billingsley as Russo, Paras Patel as Rajit Nadir, Jordan Alexandra as Priya Nadir, Nolan North as Brett and Jason Marsden as Cyrus. 

This was directed with intensity and grit by relative newcomer Brock Heasley (two shorts). With only two shorts under his belt, he was certainly able to direct a story with as many diverse characters as the plot twists themselves. His actors really were able to convince the audience of their particular predicament given which character we are speaking of, and this is the mark of a well honed director. He will undoubtedly receive more work. It was also interestingly written by Brock Heasley (three shorts). Again, considering that this writer is a relative newcomer, and the topic in which he decided to delve into can become disjointed and confusing with a seasoned writer, he actually was able to pull off this story with a certain amount of clarity and cohesiveness. As mentioned, seasoned writers would or could have stumbled with this premise, however, this writer, with the exceptions of some areas of choppiness and continuity issues, actually wrote a fairly cohesive and intense script that definitely captured my attention. The lead of Kevin played by Polaha was very convincing in his role, however, the one who clearly stole the show was that of McDonough who played The Benefactor, or some might call him the Devil. But, then again, villainous roles are usually the meatier of roles, but considering how often McDonough has played the villain, he's learned a thing or two how it's done. Again, this writer will surely be considered for more feature film work.

If films about time or time travel, or in this case, shifting from one world to another are your liking,  this should intrigue that most ardent fan. The story keeps one riveted for the almost two hour running time, and with several twists and turns, it will keep you wondering what's going on.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                          Rated: PG-13                                        115mins.