Cashback

Guys like looking at naked chicks, and artists in particular seem to have a special attraction to it. Cashback does a good job of displaying this on all fronts.

As an artist myself, I found it very interesting to see the relationship between nudity/sex and art/creativity explored within the movie. Now I'm probably giving it a bit more credit than it deserves, as the "exploration" of these themes is cursory at best, but I think writer/director Sean Ellis definitely has thought about these things for himself more than once during his previous experience as a high-fashion photographer.

Artists in particular, have the "excuse" to justify their interest in the naked female (and sometimes male) body as an quest for and appreciation of beauty. I'm not saying that this reason is bogus by any means as there is a great deal of truth to it, but to assume that it is purely an intellectual or professional interest would not be completely accurate either. Sex and creativity seem to be tightly coupled in both the psyches of artists and the perception of artists in society as a whole. Artists are often revered and pursued for their ability to tap into this subconscious association. Perhaps it the act of creation itself, bringing something new into the world, that is mirrored in both pursuits.

I, for one, have thought a lot about this over the years. To say that I gained a disproportionate interest in seeing female nudity because I looked at my father's Playboy magazines as a child would be an oversimplification and doesn't quite ring true--there are many young males that have viewed plenty of soft-core porn and did not grow up to become artists. There obviously is something else, an artist soul as it were, that was also moved by this experience. I'm not sure if that is when it actually started, but it is a memory that stands out to me--just like when young Ben first observes the naked body of his live-in Swedish exchange student.

Before you start thinking that all male artists are sex-crazed perverts obsessed with female nudity, let me state for the record that this interest and sensitivity for "beauty" extends far beyond just naked women--there seems to be a heightened awareness of beauty in everything around us, be it an animate or inanimate object, a random pattern, a rusty doorknob, a moss-covered boulder, a can of tomato soup. Let me also state for the record that the naked women in Cashback are freakin' hot!! I guess there are some advantages to being a former fashion photographer. ;)

This is all just a small part of the movie, however, at its core it is a simple movie about love and heartbreak. I really liked Ellis' treatment of the material, and I really felt what separated this movie from a standard young romance movie was how these themes fit in with his perception of the world as an artist. There are some very interesting camera shots and cuts, and the whole theme of the relativity of time and the ability to stop and fully explore moments was quite intriguing. Often when I am in the middle of creating, time loses all relevance. It is as if I am in a trance, so engaged in the moment or act of creation that hours can go by in what seems like an instant.

The acting is good and the music moody and supportive. There are some very funny scenes with the antics of his fellow graveyard shift grocery store workers, but mostly this is your standard comedic fare. Ellis displays a lot of talent and I would expect him to produce even better movies as he matures in this new medium. I did not see his Academy-nominated short that the movie was based on, but his first foray into feature-length cinema is impressive despite its slight flaws.


Cashback (2007)
Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emelia Fox
Directed by: Sean Ellis

(5 out of 7 skinks)