Written and directed by Sisi Liu, when idealistic rookie Ethan Hart is paired with jaded officer Riley Dawson, their opposing philosophies about control and accountability surface on patrol. What begins as routine duty gradually exposes deeper fault lines between them, culminating in a shift that reshapes Ethan’s understanding of power, responsibility, and the cost of wearing the badge. Starring: Adam Wesley, Patrick Scott Lewis, Louiza Zouzias, John Delaney, Drew Logan and Jamie Fishback.
Shift makes an excellent first impression, in no small part due to the work by cinematographer Xincong Zhao. As soon as you’re hit with the aesthetic, it would be hard not to appreciate the fantastic grain to it, that texture and colour immediately evoke the atmosphere which Sisi Liu is aiming to craft with Shift. It’s balancing emotion with tension, sensitivity with brute force, naivety with disillusionment.
The way that Liu creates a focus around emotion and feelings is definitely evident in the directorial choices. The camera movement isn’t simply driven by the dialogue, it moves with the development of its leading character, Ethan (Adam Wesley). It works well to create sincerity and sensitivity, there’s a purposefully softer edge to it than you might expect with typical explorations of crime and police work. That does mean it also moves a little slower than viewers might anticipate but you can easily see the thought process behind that, and the intention to open up a conversation.
A conversation about empathy, and how, or even if, that can truly work in an environment which can be incredibly volatile, quickly escalating and requires instant reactions and a focus on self-protection. Liu does a great job of asking questions about building that almost impossibly delicate balance of following procedure but also recognising the difference between a person having a bad day and a genuinely bad person. One that’s ever more relevant in today’s world, the disillusionment of policing, and the need to employ a gentler hand and empathy in the right situations, to avoid worsening them for everyone, with the inevitably rippling consequences which follow.
Adam Wesley creates the catalyst for that conversation with his performance as Ethan, it’s caring, generous and optimistic. He portrays the younger generations’ desire for change and progress, as well as how fast the world can fracture that perspective. Wesley gives a touching performance which provides Shift with a very easy lead to follow.
While Patrick Scott Lewis gives us the grizzled perspective, the entrenched cop who struggles to look past the darkness the world so often has to offer. Perhaps needing a reminder of the good the world can hold, arriving in the form of his new partner, Ethan. Drew Logan adds a touch of levity, he’s a great addition to expand the tone of Shift. Whereas Louiza Zouzias’ performance deepens the emotional nature of the film. Zouzias brings things down to earth and adds a nice touch of grit.
Shift is an interesting approach to a conversation about policing and brutality because it wears its heart on its sleeve and leads with emotion. There is a harsher story within it, but Sisi Liu doesn’t allow that to take over, and drive the short into a darker place, it remains open and in touch with its feelings. There’s a great ensemble at work, the cinematography is terrific, the direction is sensitive and Liu nicely leaves the conversation open ended, for viewers to draw their own conclusions about how Ethan’s perspective has shifted after this experience.
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