After a tense encounter with a mysterious stranger who has otherworldly powers, a man gets banished to a parallel Earth where he fights to get back to the woman he loves. At this point, it’s no secret that Angel Studios, a studio that produces films/shows (After Death, The Chosen) with a faith based approach, is having quite an eventful year. The enormous success of their recent film Sound of Freedom has been a testament to what issues the general public in America and around the world actually care about these days. The trafficking of children is unfortunately an ongoing issue in which many politicians globally and celebrities in Hollywood are either directly involved or are complicit in (I.e. Pizzagate, Epstein’s Island). The intense backlash from left wing critics and members of the Hollywood establishment labeling the film as conspiratorial or “misinformation” only helped strengthen the claims that such atrocities are being committed by those in positions of high power, wealth, and influence. As for their newest sci-fi dystopian thriller, The Shift, there are quite a lot of ambitious concepts and interesting ideas that work, for the most part. I for one am Jewish, so my knowledge of the Christian bible is relatively surface level, and I would say that you can really be of any faith, religion, or belief system to be able to follow this film.
The Shift mixes familiar sci-fi elements with a love story that is tied together by the main character’s faith in God. It really is exactly what it’s being marketed as, which is a modern day retelling of the story of Job. Kristoffer Polaha plays Kevin, a man who just got laid off from his job at a hedge fund and meets Molly played by Elizabeth Tabish at a bar. They engage in flirtatious conversation and almost immediately fall in love, but when a mysterious man called The Benefactor played by Neal McDonough shows up, things start to get… complicated. First off, Neal McDonough as The Benefactor completely steals the show here. The Benefactor is basically the devil personified and McDonough infuses just the right amount of suave charisma, fast talking intensity, and eccentric facial expressions to make the viewer believe that this demonic entity means business and will stop at nothing to create the world in his image. The movie deals with multiverses, alternative realities, and the idea of how one’s decision making can create new timeline branches. A familiar concept we see far too much of nowadays, but The Benefactor explains it in a way that makes just enough sense for viewers to say “screw it” and go along for the ride.
Kristoffer Polaha does a solid job as Kevin and is a fairly relatable protagonist who deals with things that the average adult deals with (trouble paying bills, arguments with spouse, getting laid off from work). He gives an emotionally raw performance that maintains much needed levels of honesty and sincerity. Some of the best moments are the scenes where Kevin and The Benefactor are engaging in tension filled yet existential discussions in which Kevin is trying so hard to resist the temptations that The Benefactor is offering. When Kevin ultimately refuses The Benefactor’s offer during a gripping diner sequence, he gets sent off to a dystopian future where his wife Molly and his children are gone and the entire population is poor, desperate, and constantly being surveilled by a Gestapo-like police force, courtesy of The Benefactor. This is where things begin to feel startlingly similar to what is happening in our country/world today. The Benefactor pulls strings behind the scenes, creating political chaos, world wars, and eventually the banning of any form of biblical scripture to the point that Kevin has to memorize certain verses he remembers. The parallels to today’s world in which the devil has influenced politicians, the media, and corrupted the hearts of man with selfishness cannot be ignored.
Among the supporting cast is Samwise Gamgee himself, Sean Astin as Kevin’s friend Gabriel who Kevin oftentimes goes to and secretly gives him verses of scripture. This is a very different role for Sean Astin and I was particularly surprised with the direction his character was taken here. There are several dialogue scenes between Kevin and Gabriel where they discuss how they can believe in a higher power when things are so bleak and again, it felt like a metaphor for how many, specifically those who don’t believe in God, are feeling right now. Another notable supporting cast member is John Billingsley as Russo, this guy who runs a sort of viewing room where one can pay to see alternate versions of themselves. The chemistry between Kevin and Russo was rather electric, as Kevin puts Russo in tough situations in which Kevin tries to use Russo’s business to further his goal of returning to his version of Molly. Sections of the film are separated by quotes from scripture displayed on screen to appropriately convey the themes and situations of each segment, which was an interesting way to separate each portion from the other.
Not all of the film’s in-universe ideas are fully explored and one can argue the movie breaks its own rules on more than one occasion as it pertains to the “shifting” aspect. Also, while the gritty dystopian set design looks quite impressive for the most part, there are a few moments where I was able to tell the limitations of the budget (a few Hallmark movie looking interior set pieces and a news jingle straight from the iMovie library). I would have also wanted a bit more screen time for Neal McDonough’s The Benefactor as it was just so much fun to watch him constantly trying to prove that Kevin is actually a bad person, in spite of his good deeds. Writer/director Brock Heasley does a fine job at not fully venturing into preachy territory and I would say the movie has an approach to the faith based elements that not only work for the story, but also serve as things everyone can relate to such as personal betrayal and self sacrifice. The ending, while predictable, is emotionally satisfying and will be even more impactful for those who have been or are in a relationship.
Like in Sound of Freedom, there is a special message played during the mid-credits in which Kristoffer Polaha gives a heartwarming statement about paying it forward so that someone less fortunate can have a ticket to see the movie this holiday season. Many Christians and people of faith who aren’t as fortunate as me or you will want to see this film and may not have the monetary means to do so, which is why I have attached the bar code for it on the last slide of my review. Overall, even though The Shift may be held back from some undercooked in-movie rules and a few noticeable cracks in the technical department, Brock Heasley’s short film turned feature is a thoroughly engaging, intensely thought provoking, and ambitiously unique faith based sci-fi dystopian thriller buoyed by fantastic performances from Kristoffer Polaha and especially a relentless Neal McDonough as The Benefactor.
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