Is “The Shift” Worth Seeing?

Last month, we sat down with Brock Heasley, director of the now-released faith-based film, “The Shift.”  In our interview, we discussed the process of turning a 20-minute short into a full-length film. Now that it’s released to the public, what do we think of the film? Is it worth going to see? We want to give you our spoiler-free thoughts on the film. If you’ve not heard about “The Shift,” here’s the official synopsis of the film:

In The Shift, Kevin Garner (Kristoffer Polaha) wakes up in an alternate totalitarian reality and must travel across dimensions to reunite with the love of his life, Molly (Elizabeth Tabish). When a mysterious adversary known as The Benefactor (Neal McDonough) threatens Kevin’s survival with offers of wealth and power, Kevin fights to make it back to the world he knows and the woman he loves.

The Story:

The story of The Shift is interesting as it follows a man who finds himself in a world that is not his own, yet still very familiar. He is a man who’s had everything stolen from him by an evil entity. The story is one part discovering portions of how he survived and one part his journey home. Undergirding this story is not just the sci-fi elements but the parallel of the story of Job. While it’s not a one-for-one story beat, it does a great job of lacing the Biblical narrative into the overarching theme.

In our interview with Brock, he mentioned that one of his favorite sci-fi films is the 1997 Ethan Hawke film,  “Gattaca.” Keeping that in mind, you can see that Brocks’ storytelling was influenced by that film’s director and writer, Andrew Niccol. The pacing is done in a way that gives the film a slice-of-life feel within this dystopian society. While there is intense action, the film’s drama is allowed to breathe through various expositions and shots designed to show the breaking down of the film’s protagonist. It’s designed to invite the viewer to ask themselves, “What would I do?” and challenge them to see glimmers of hope intentionally amid dark times.

As far as the storytelling goes, I wish I had more time to discover the world outside the city where the story takes place. Small segments of dialog hint at the devastation outside of the city, but I would have liked more. Also, I would have enjoyed discovering more about the protagonist’s life during his five years in this dystopian world. I think that story would make for a great series of some sort.

The Acting

The film’s protagonist, Kevin, is played by Kristoffer Polaha. Kristoffer had a unique opportunity in this film. For the most part, he played a man the character described above, a man removed from his world, desperate to get home amid a very dark situation. He did a great of this. The moments of brokenness and the moments of Kevin’s rally felt authentic and genuine. But Kristoffer’s unique opportunity was brought on due to the film’s backdrop of alternate realities. Throughout the film, we can see various versions of “Kevin.” This stretched Kristoffer a bit, giving him a chance to play the story’s good guy and various devious versions of himself, which he did a great job of.

The other stand-out acting was done by the film’s antagonist, “The Benefactor,” played by Captain America’s Dum Dum Dugan, Neal McDonough. In recent months, it’s been revealed that Neal’s acting history has been somewhat intentional. He doesn’t just take any job that comes up. Because of his faith and dedication to his bride, he intentionally ensures that the parts he plays don’t violate his covenants. This has led to him playing many a villain over the years. This is a role that he’s grown comfortable in doing, and he does it well. Neal brings an intensity to the character that even amid scenes with levity, the character remains a terrifying subject.

Faith and Storytelling

Christian cinema has, unfortunately, been plagued with various stereotypes. The low-budget nature of projects causes some of that. Sometimes, it’s the shoehorning of a salvation experience. But also the difficulty of imitating God’s genuine transformative nature in an individual’s life.  

This film is different because it’s not trying to say, “repent and come to Jesus.” Instead, it’s simply sharing a story of a Christian man responding to a terrifying situation. It’s not trying to preach the gospel throughout the film but rather live it out. Yes, there are some very prominent scenes where Kevin has conversations about his faith, where he prays, and where the Benefactor attacks Kevin’s faith. Still, in the context of the situation, it makes sense.

I think this is a massive step forward for faith-based cinema. Some may be disappointed that there wasn’t a direct “bow your heads and say this prayer” moment. Still, in a world where the lifestyle of a Christian is not only misrepresented in media but also in real life, I found this to be refreshing.

Conclusion

I enjoyed “The Shift.”  It did a great job of capturing the form of sci-fi storytelling that it intended while also walking people through the ideas presented in the story of Job. This could be the start of a significant “shift” in faith-based cinema if allowed.