When a film crew trying to put together one of the most challenging zombie movies of all time runs into some issues, things only get worse when real zombies attack them. While they continue to look toward finishing the project, they come to realize that everything is not quite what it seems. Final Cut is the story of this crew trying to bring a film to life and all the troubles they face in the process.
In a lot of ways Final Cut is a shit show. I don’t mean this negatively either–because there is something that exists within the film’s chaos that is appealing and necessary. Viewers are immediately thrown into the middle of the film being made within Final Cut, and we aren’t entirely sure of the premise of the movie or anything about the characters that we see on screen. We are thrown right into the mix, forced to fend for ourselves and deal with the dramatic things taking place before us. Director Michel Hazanavicius doesn’t give viewers a chance to settle in, doesn’t develop anything in order to create shock or awe–what he does is send a shock to our system in the opening moments and then provide us answers as we go forward.
There’s a highly underrated film that I love called Vantage Point that, similarly, throws viewers into the action and slowly gives them answers as the film progresses. Final Cut does this differently, leaving out one side of the story and filling in the blanks as the film moves forward. What’s interesting about the first act of the film is that the series of what appears to be faux pas play out like comedy. In the first thirty minutes or so viewers are made to think that everything happening is a joke, like maybe the characters are unhinged–and we learn so much more about that as we move into the second and third acts of the film. Viewers are almost forced to think a certain way, forced to believe the things that they see in front of them–and the way in which they are manipulated is actually a lot of fun.
As Final Cut turns a corner, as it starts to become more clear what is happening in front of us, the story and the tone shifts. It becomes far less about comedy and more about the real lives of those that are participating in its production. As we are pulled into the story of each of the characters at this point, the viewing experience changes as well. I enjoyed the semi-satirical nature of the film up to the shift, but then I was given something that seemed more tangible, more familiar. Are the characters great? Certainly not. However, they all exist in a pocket of society that will speak to viewers. I almost wish that Final Cut had developed those characters more, but what we are given is enough to care for them, or at least buy into them to a degree.
The best part of Final Cut is the cinematography. Director of Photography Jonathan Ricquebourg is tasked with playing an integral role in developing both comedy and drama–but also keeping viewers in the dark at the right moments. He uses a series of different shots that always appropriately reflect the tone of the film at any given moment–and he’s such an important part of ensuring that viewers feel what Hazanavicius had intended. Ricquebourg plays the role of multiple cameramen throughout the course of Final Cut, trying to fill the shoes of the men and women that exist as such within the film. I can just picture him like a madman trying to figure out all of the right shots, all of the right angles–but regardless of what he actually looked like while bringing this film to life–he does it with precision and expertise.
I believe that Final Cut exists in a niche place in the film world–that it will likely appeal to a smaller audience that will need to appreciate the nuances of filmmaking in order to appreciate this film as a whole. With that being said, however, it is a compelling story, one that incorporates horror, comedy, drama, and more into it–and it has the potential to appeal to different viewers as a result. At the heart of the film is something a bit campy and artistic, and while I hope the world has a chance to watch Final Cut, it’s maybe a little too smart and specific for a larger audience.
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius.
Written by Michel Hazanavicius, Shin’Ichirô Ueda, Ryoichi Wada.
Starring Roman Duris, Bérénice Bejo, Grégory Gadeboi, Finnegan Oldfield, Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz, Sébastien Chassagne, Raphaël Quenard, Lyès Salem, Jean Pascal Zadi, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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