 It Cuts Deep Director: Nicholas Payne Santos Writer: Nicholas Payne Santos Starring: Charles Gould, Quinn Jackson, John Anderson, Chloe Roe, Jackson Quinn Gray It Cuts Deep is released today and to mark it's birthday we have a review from Craig Draheim, and if you scroll to the end an interview between Craig and the director of the film and star of the Nicholas Payne Santos and Charles Gould The man-child with commitment issues strikes again! But like the tired character trope, it has been made clear that the audience and the other characters are exhausted by its jokes and gimmicks. It Cuts Deep tells a story of Ashley (Quinn Jackson) and Sam (Charles Gould), who venture to Sam’s childhood home for an intimate Christmas vacation. While Ashley is looking to begin settling down, Sam consistently avoids the topic with sexual humor. However, when Nolan (John Anderson), an old acquaintance of Sam’s, comes into the picture, Sam begins growing possessive of Ashley and tries to fight off Nolan’s advances. The movie opens with a quick slasher-esque kill of two fornicating teenagers, then we are immediately transported to Sam and Ashley at a rest stop on their way to the house. Within their first moments of screen time, Ashley talks about getting married and having children, which Sam deflects with anal jokes. Instantly we know these people and wonder how they are even still together. Ashley is not subtle about how she feels, and Sam’s jokes are not cute, like how that character-type is normally packaged. The two are on different frequencies and don’t have enough chemistry to love each other. However, they convey having been together long enough that they have fallen into a complacent routine. We have/know someone who has been in a similar relationship, so the generic portrayal is identifiable. The acting is great all around and fits right into that indie/mumblegore (the horror version of mumblecore) style, where it is meant to be more of a dialogue, character-driven piece than it is something with a lot of spectacle. Even the moments that don’t work feel appropriate within the world that has been created, which mainly comes from Charles Gould. This has been marketed as Gould’s starring vehicle and his big transition from standup to acting, which has some of those clichés. Usually when a standup comedian is transitioning into film, they’ll have their character provide a lot of “jokes,” one-liners, or gags. This is the case for It Cuts Deep, but its benefit is that these don’t land, and it’s made clear they’re not supposed to, especially as the movie begins to take a sinister twist. Overall, it is a solid, self-contained, indie feature that looks great, which with today’s technology is very easy to obtain. Credit must be given to the production design or location scout for providing a pre-snow winter aesthetic. All the dead trees and brown leaves turn the environment into its own character, and I am always for more cold-based horror movies. As mentioned above, based on the type of movie it is, the plot isn’t that intricate, building its whole premise off the notion is Nolan sinister or is Sam crazy, even for non-horror fans, you’ll figure out the answer long before Nolan ever enters the frame. Like many in its category, It Cuts Deep showcases a strong emerging voice from all involved, yet if they had a little more experience under their belts and some fine-tuning, they could’ve created a true knockout piece. 3 out of 5   |
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