2003 Rank 'em as you see them

[oscar jubis]

I really enjoyed looking at this film. Too many film reviews could pass for book reviews because there is no attempt to describe and analize images. Cinema is a visual medium and Ms. Campion has complete command. I'm talking about framing, depth of focus, shooting angles, the rhythm of the editing cuts, the use of color, the use of different film stocks, camera movement, etc. The way Ms. Campion and her DP direct one's attention and conjure up moods by focusing sharply on an object and leaving equidistant objects out of focus is brilliant. Not that any of this would interest Mr. Tabuno. As a lover of cinema, not mere storytelling, I cannot dismiss In The Cut.

Content-wise, the film succeeds as character study but fails (and wastes time) as slasher thriller/mystery. Having seen every Campion film (including Two Women and her student short), I think she agreed to direct to get a movie made about a single woman near-40 dealing frankly with her affective and sexual needs. The ordinary slasher plot is "the price you pay" to get it financed.