THAT centrepiece of North American city planning, the mall, has grown into such a monster, that in some cities you can live, work, sleep, eat, recreate and procreate all without stepping out into the open air. This is the premise that Gary Burns sets to work on in this quirky and entertaining flick.

Four office workers are into the 24th day of a competition to see who can last the longest without going into the open air. Following them on their lunch hour, it is immediately apparent that each is beginning to feel the strain, but with a month's salary riding on the bet each is also more determined than ever to hang on in there.

Most of the screen time is spent with Tom (Fabrizio Filippo), a quick-witted, but self-absorbed fantasiser who, due to the suffocating mall atmosphere and the odd surreptitious joint, is beginning to hallucinate. Is his co-worker Brad (Don McKellar) suicidal? Is his boss a kleptomaniac? Was that superman that just ran past a window? Why is Tom swimming though the air?

Director Gary Burns lets his imagination run riot, creating a visually striking piece that uses stylistic tricks like jump cuts, split screens, speeded-up film and colour manipulation to morph between different levels of consciousness and give the cosy environment of the mall an edge. Disappointingly, the characters are too strange and dysfunctional, Tom included, to ever get under the skin, but this is compensated in large part by the off-the-wall dialogue, visual playfulness and the outlandishness of the idea itself.