If you need some surreal sci-fi in your Saturday, “The Shift” has you covered. A gorgeously shot short film by Francesco Cabrese, it tells the story of an unnamed man who comes home to find that his wife, Betty, isn’t home—a mystery that soon becomes the least of his problems.
Further description would only spoil things, as most of the enjoyment is rooted in the pure escapism of the premise—clocking in at around eight minutes, the film makes its mark through execution, rather than through any profound emotional effect. But the Technicolor gloriously conjures ’60s suburbia, the widescreen composition is on point, and it’s always fun to enter the twilight zone. Molly C. Quinn and Ryan Welsh deliver the lead performances.
