On a deeper level, Cashback is a meditation on modern alienation. The 24-hour supermarket is a genius choice for this narrative: a place outside of normal time, filled with lost souls (the night shift crew includes a bodybuilder, a speed-chess addict, and a lecherous manager). It is a limbo where the broken-hearted go to heal. Ben’s ability to freeze time is a fantasy we all share—the desire to pause a beautiful moment or to examine a fleeting detail. But the film ultimately argues that stopping time is a form of death. True life, true love, and true art require movement, messiness, and the courage to let time flow forward, even if it brings pain.