Cutting Moments (1997)

After that terrible movie session ("Session 9") it's time for some good "horror". While that previous film I reviewed showed that you can indeed make a one and a half hour movie with nothing in it here comes an only 25 minute-long short film full of complex themes and devastating power.

Be warned! This is not for the faint of heart! In fact this is one of the toughest films I ever had to watch. Douglas Buck's 1997 short film "Cutting Moments" is part of a loose trilogy that not many people have heard of. And it is an incredibly terrifying experience that is really not for everyone. It features scenes of graphic violence that may put off a lot of people in the first place.
But that is not what makes this movie so disturbing.

"Cutting Moments" is about the breakdown of a family living in a suburban town. Like the place itself the image of the film is set in bleak, cold colours. From the first shot the film creates a chilling atmosphere and a creepy feel of isolation. We see the mother behind the window glass, the father is outside cutting the hedge. He is in thoughts and doesn't look very happy. Then he turns around and sees his son playing in front of the house. The distance between the two in the next shot is a hint to their distorted relationship.

There is hardly any dialog but the tension is overwhelming. Communication within this family is broken. Silence is what makes this film so strong. Silence, that in this case says more than words could do. The family is torn apart. We get clear hints that the father did abuse his son. But the father-son-relationship is not in the foreground.

The central character is the mother. She is utterly desperate and lonely and can't stand the situation any longer. At times she tries to overcome the apathetic state in the family, tries to find old feelings and harmony and the side of her husband's personality that she once used to love. But there is no connection anymore, no resonance at all coming from her husband and her son. She has lost them and is about to lose her own mind.

The climactic scene in this film is as intense as anything I've seen. A scene without words that breaks the silence between the two shattered souls. It contains one of the most haunting images I can think of having ever seen. The shocking outcome and the last minutes in the film are breathtakingly sad.

The effects in the picture were made by Tom Savini, famous special effects and make-up artist, who was also involved in projects like "Dawn of the dead" or "Friday the 13th" but is probably best known for his work with director Robert Rodriguez. About "Cutting Moments" he said it was the "sickest movie ever made". But not to give you a wrong impression, I have to stress that "Cutting Moments" is not by any means a splatter or "horror" movie in the traditional sense.

It is a small, quiet, slow and very serious drama with an authentic look and feel and brillant performances by the three family members who - if I remember correctly - aren't even professional actors.

This film is pure tragedy. It shows all the sadness and evil that exists behind the walls in a home of ordinary people. And it shows that nothing in life is for certain. Love, fortune, happiness. It could be gone any second. Everything is fading, slipping away through our hands leaving scars in our minds that might never heal again.

Cutting moments.

No trailer available.