About once per year I go to the US for work and have to spend a few days in the main HQ where most of the directors and equally important people have their offices. Each morning I'll see the same security guy checking people in and out, knowing everyone's names and talking to people ranging from secretaries up to global directors with a friendly ease. This guy is on the first of several of his jobs each day and how he does it I will never know – he works longer hours than most people in that building but for a fraction of the pay; he is also probably one of the nicest people in the building. I mention this because watching Shift put me in mind of him because although it doesn't really have a narrative so called, it is essentially a study of the unseen workers who do several jobs to get by, who are basically the "have nots".
This film shows us this by giving us the character of Alex, who is the "new Frank" after Frank got fired. Importantly Alex is not really in this world since he is working nights to keep the days free for acting work if/when it comes; this means that he can act as our fresh eyes in the mailroom. As well as being an outsider, the daytime of fake actors and rich friends also serves as a nice contrast to the mailroom, where all races are together, where people are genuine (for good or for bad) and there is no hint of luxury there. As a plot the film does have a flow but mostly it is the characters that makes it engaging, with these men of all cultures just trying to get by, tired, frustrated but still trying to get by. It isn't rocket science perhaps but writer/director Yi gives us a feel for the people in the room and it does feel like part of a group, albeit a fragmented group.
Shift is long by the standards of most shorts – indeed it is long compared a lot of TV show episodes, however it justifies this time by the strength of its characters and their stories, which it tells without ever feeling pat or patronizing.
