8 Minutes Idle

8 Minutes Idle is a micro budget feature film set in Bristol. I applaud low budget British films that tend to show a lot of commitment and love just to get it made and tenacity to attract a decent cast who are presumably working for next to nothing.

However the key is to have an exciting script that takes an audience to a journey and they care about the story and characters. The journey can be of the mind, something to make you think rather than something where money is thrown on the screen but has an empty shell like many bigger budget Hollywood films.

Here we follow Dan (Tom Hughes) thrown out of his house and moves with his cat to his place of work where he secretly squats in the ceiling above the toilets in a dull call centre where everyone's job is precarious.

Dan falls in love with co-worker Teri (Ophelia Lovibond) but is also attracted to their horrible boss (Montserrat Lombard.) The film is an adaptation of a novel and is supposedly a comedy that had the potential to be a satirical commentary on the subject of office workplaces during harsh economic times but instead has little of interest to say and is plodding and slow. Some more time and money on the script and interesting characters would had been a start.

Look, it's a nice film,! Entertaining and funny, it's a great British office romance and I think it works. once you see the budget you will be amazed

interesting theme. good intentions. and total chaos. because all seems be an improvisation about work in center call under the crisis period pressure. good opportunity for a ironical critic about condition, horrible boss, job without sense, few drops of love story. each of theme is present. but in a too strange mixture. and that transforms entire film in a meeting of actors and few nice intentions. the viewer understand the message. but he do not care. the story has not coherence and uses a lot of directions. but none credible. result - a kind of exploration of different territories. and a drawing covered by water. a final who could be real great. and a young man universe who reflects real events but seems have not the purpose to convince or impress. a film like a cigarette smoke. beautiful . but for not long time.

I had high expectations of this film with a off the wall storyline. However thought the characters did not endear themselves to the viewer. So I did not really care what was happening to them.

The comedy was there somewhere but undemanding - typical British awkward silences work for older protagonists but for the younger in-crowd it felt forced and artificial. As they are call centre workers it is hard to expect these characters would have such a hard time communicating with each other.

Disappointed that it was not better especially with some of the more experienced actors involved.