Review of The Final Cut (2004) by Suminorudder — 17 Feb 2021

One of Robin Williams greatest dramatic performances that has unreasonably been sneered on for far to long. For a long time, this has been one of my favorite films, full of gorgeous cinematography, a systemic thought process behind it’s near sci-fi subject matter (though I’m sure it felt less “near” 17 years ago on its release,) and a compelling story told briskly within its own universe. I firmly believe this is a victim of its release timing, after glitzy and polished “Archived Memory” flicks like Paycheck with Ben Affleck but before “Deja Vu” with Denzel Washington also taking a turn alongside Jim Caviziel, it got lost in the consumption of glossier eye candy that was less obtrusive into people’s morality and ethics. The premise is this: a company can implant a biological A/V recording device in utero for a fee. Everything that that child experiences will be recorded, and the static of their life can be reduced to a highlight reel for their loved ones to screen in a theater on their passing. Make no mistake. This film is an all-caps challenging film. Within the first ten or so minutes, you have a man describing a fishing trip with his father and his deceased brother. Robin Williams character Alan Hakman takes a note of it, and while seeking out the appropriate footage destroys a memory of the deceased savagely beating his wife. The wife is at the screening a few days later and she and Alan exchange pleasantries. The strength in this film lies in what’s unsaid. there is much left unsaid, but throughout its course, there are few questions that are not asked. What value is there in speaking the sins of those who can’t be punished back into memory?

What becomes of those that take others heaviest burdens upon themselves? What does that say about redemption? Is it even possible, or is redemption a construct of those alive left to debate it?

It’s not perfect by any means. Mira Sorvino is just a feminine macguffin that doesn’t even come close to clearing the Bechdel Test and that’s a frustrating waste of her talent and what her role could have been, and one of the few things that absolutely sticks in my craw. It’s glaring, and it makes me angry still. There are some odd ways in which the ZOE implant seems to make sense and not make sense as far as it’s functionality and mechanics work, and perhaps if you’re one of the ones who watches based off of this (since an incredibly small number of people to date have really seen this film) you’ll probably see what I mean by the time the credits role. Overall, I consider this a personal classic and have watched repeatedly and wept at the cruel realities presented in it. And continue to do so. It’s a film that will absolutely hurt your heart and spirit, but sometimes, it will be the precise hurt you need.