Following on from Steven Sheil’s lo-fi horror Mum & Dad, Shifty offers further testament to the value of Film London’s Microwave scheme, whereby upcoming filmmakers get to make their pictures with a budget of £100,000.
Writer/director Eran Creevy crafts a conventional tale (awkward homecoming for friend with dark past, good-hearted protagonist entangled in crime), but laces it with some wonderfully idiosyncratic detail. Both leads — Riz Ahmed as the eponymous dealer, Daniel Mays as his prodigal pal Chris — turn in warm performances, and while Creevy lets himself down a little with a forced twist, his film is an engaging and intelligently character-driven calling card.