Unexpected Item Review: Olivia Colman’s Talking Checkout Till Makes This Award-Winning Short a Delight

Olivis Coleman as a self-service checkout till that answers back? Yes, I’ll have some of that, thank you very much.  Of course, a till that answers back needs a customer to backchat, and that comes in the form  of hapless Henry (played by the quietly handsome Jamie Blackley) who has reached the ripe old age of 26 and is still required to prove his age when he buys alcohol.  However, that is the least of his worries.  Hapless Henry is also hankering for the human cashier (Isabella Laughland) but there is always a reason – or an excuse – for him to end up on the self-service side of the supermarket (and Coleman’s remark about the tissues he is buying will have you in gales).

Unexpected Item has quietly built an impressive festival record, collecting Best Film awards at the Anaheim International and Cambria Film Festivals, Best Comedy Short at both the Orinos Film Awards and Independent Short Awards, Best Short Film at the Vegas Movie Awards and Falcon International Film Festival, and Best Romantic Comedy at the Top Indie Film Awards. It has also been officially selected for festivals including Norwich, Carmarthen Bay, Queen Palm, Austin Comedy, and JellyFest. Directed by Stephen Gallacher and written by Chris Croucher, the short tells a warm, witty story about courage, human connection, and the small inner voice that sometimes gives us the push we need to reach out to one another.  It’s lovely.