The Shift (2023)
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A man who is 'shifted' into a dystopian alternate reality must navigate a totalitarian regime ruled by Satan to find his lost wife.
The story
In 2008, hedge fund manager Kevin Garner loses his job and meets Molly, with whom he eventually marries. Years later, the couple is estranged following the disappearance of their son. After a car crash, Kevin is rescued by a mysterious stranger known as The Benefactor, who reveals himself to be Satan. The Benefactor explains that he 'shifts' people between infinite alternate universes to sow discord. Kevin is stranded in a ruined, dystopian reality ruled by a totalitarian regime where Scripture is outlawed. Using an alias, Kevin secretly distributes Biblical passages while searching for a way to reunite with Molly.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 2008, hedge fund manager Kevin Garner loses his job and marries Molly. Years later, they are estranged due to their son's disappearance. After a car crash, Kevin meets The Benefactor (Satan), who explains the existence of infinite universes and 'shifts' people between them. Kevin is stranded in a dystopian world where the Benefactor rules with a totalitarian regime and 'shifters' use 'deviators' to exile people. Kevin secretly distributes Biblical passages and eventually discovers his friend Gabriel is a shifter. Kevin uses a deviator to travel through universes, eventually finding a version of Molly who is a nurse. After she rebuffs him, the Benefactor reappears and offers Kevin a choice: join him as a shifter to be with her or save a woman named Tina who was shifted into a universe where she was never born. Kevin chooses to save Tina. He then shifts to a third universe where he meets a different version of Molly, who does not recognize him. They fall in love and marry, forming a new family.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Brock Heasley
- Writers
- Brock Heasley · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kristoffer Polaha · Kevin Garner; Neal McDonough · The Benefactor; Elizabeth Tabish · Molly; Rose Reid · Tina; John Billingsley · Russo; Paras Patel · Rajit; Jordan Alexandra · Gabriel; Sean Astin
- Genres
- Christian; science fiction; thriller; dystopian
- Themes
- Faith; Redemption; Multiverse; Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Dystopian; Tense; Religious
- Setting
- A dystopian alternate reality and a ruined world in 2008 and the subsequent years.
- Premise and plot tags
- Parallel Universes; Satanic Influence; Dystopian; Biblical Adaptation
- Source material / true-story basis
- Book of Job
- Reception
- The film received negative reviews from critics but was more positively received by faith-based publications. Audiences gave it a 'B+' on CinemaScore, while PostTrak polled users gave it an 85% overall positive score.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 85% · scale: overall positive
- Production trivia
- The film was originally scheduled for a January 2024 release but was moved up to December 2023.; Brock Heasley first made The Shift as a 21-minute short.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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