Human Resources is not a good film, but a very worthy effort. Nascent filmmakers Braden Swope and Evan Swope, attempt to tackle the absurd hierarchy embedded in the retail industry with a satirical horror film only to have far too much to say and yet, not enough. The film opens as fidgety and fragile Sam (Hugh McCrae Jr.) is looking for a job. Any job. When blustery manager Gene Nibbs (Anthony Candell) calls Sam for an interview at Brooke’s Hardware, Sam jumps at the opportunity. As luck would have it, this mom-and-pop hardware store harbors a dark secret. Unfortunately, we never really find out what that is. The script by the aforementioned Swope‘s with an assist from Chris Kelly tries to be a savage takedown of the retail industry only to get lost in the stockroom.

After Sam lands his job he is trained by plucky and present associate Sarah (Sarah José). A Full-timer, Sarah is just there to clock her hours and make her money. With a bit of prodding Sarah learns that Sam aspires to greater things outside a retail space and the two begin to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of a former employee. While snooping about Sam runs into suit and tie, back of house, executive Brian (Tim Misuradze) who seems to be guarding the stockroom a little too aggressively. The mystery is afoot. Where did the missing employee go? Will Sam uncover the nefarious doings of upper management? Will they survive the impending Black Friday madness?

The Swopes are supported by a team of talented craftsmen with Human Resources. Behind the camera photographer, Cooper Lichacz delivers a sleek 16:9 aspect ratio that services the material well. There’s also some great work from Production Designer Penny Smith and Art Director Rachel Simurda that mercilessly captures the mundane riot of details in an independent retail space. Then, of course, the performers deliver their best. Candell’s unctuous Gene is the picture of retail management. Meanwhile, José’s Sarah is the cool employee that we all ran into at a new job. McCrae Jr.’s Sam is a cagey, frightened do-gooder whose only goal is to please.

Despite the adequate performances, Human Resources is weighed down by far too much atmosphere and not near enough action. At approximately 1 hr 40 minutes, we watch and mentally edit the moments and story beats that we have already covered. By our estimation, this glossy horror comedy could have shaved off 25-30 minutes of its runtime only to benefit from brevity.

Filmmakers Braden Swope and Evan Swope are talented and they show a fair amount of promise. They also need an editor and co-writer that they can count on to guide them away from repetitive scenes and toward a progressive narrative. I look forward to what the Swopes have coming. They have talent, and people that believe in them.

5 Out of 10