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Late Shift (Mini Review)

4:16:00 PM DW 0 Comments







Late Shift, which has been dubbed as an interactive high stakes crime drama, is a new type of cinematic experience. The film hopes to breathe life back into the dying choose-your-own-adventure genre that was crafted in the seventies, but eventually became popular in the both the eighties and the nineties. Now instead of turning a page in a book to discover your fate, the audience is able to click a few buttons, and watch their decisions unfold on screen. This innovative story telling mechanism keeps the audience invested and personally tied to the film’s story and characters.

The interactive film follows a college student, Matt (Joe Sowerbutts), who gets wrapped up into a troublesome scheme during his late night shift at a parking garage. The story is not a new one, and it is often predictable, but the plot saves the film.  The process of how our hero gets in and out of the inevitable trouble is what eventually hooks the audience.

Overall the film’s visuals are very realistic, as it was shot on location and London. The cast of new, young faces were also very well prepared and fit each character that they were portraying. The writing was very thoughtful and engaging as well.

With over four hours of recorded film, there are one hundred and eighty decision points, and seven endings, but only one story. With careful manipulation and play, participants can eventually unlock all of the endings.


Late Shift (2016)
Director: Tobias Weber
Writer: Michael Robert Johnson, Tobias Weber
Stars: Joe Sowerbutts, Haruka Abe, Richard Durden
Run Time: Various

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