Short Cuts: By Robert Altman (1993)

On a social networking site, a film connoisseur expressed his love for the film Crash. Crash was great a film. But it’s my hunch, the lifeblood of Crash traces back to the author Raymond Caver—a poet and writer of short stories. Craver’s work, famous for dealing with his marriage, his children and struggle with alcoholism, influenced Robert Altman to write the film Short Cuts, which debuted in 1993.

Both Crash and Short Cuts are great films. Though the similarities are obvious: both films are set in Los Angeles; both films cut between a series of people linked together; both films have a police officer who abuses his power; both films have a couple on the rocks; and both films even have small child that brushes with death.

The exception? Short Cuts is no where near conventional or adheres to the standards that well with American audiences.

The police officer in Short Cuts never has the chance to redeem his transgressions, the couple in Short Cuts never truly makes up, and unlike the little girl who leaped into her fathers arms in Crash, the boy in Short Cuts, accidentally hit by a car, dies.

To me, the themes of both these movies deal with our imperfect world, were nothing is flawless, and we continuously crash into each other.BUT FOR ME, Short Cut’s provides of more a challenge. There is no easy way out. The story doesn’t allow one to feel good in the end. Often, unfortunately, life is the same way.

Personally, I would love to see more challenging stories with black and Latino issues. NOT TO SAY CRASH WASN’T A CHALLENGE, I ENJOYED THE MOVIE! I could sense the Hollywood in film. I would love to see a candid scene, not necessarily a woman standing nude, like in Short Cuts, but scenes of minorities in their natural element, unvarnished—the very element that minorities unnecessarily feel a shame of: like black women walking about side with rollers in their hair. That's one aspect that I admired about Short Cuts, the blue collared characters in the film were relatable. Why can’t can we see blue-collar minority characters?

Is it because minorities have been so inflicted with racism, the belief that one race is superior to another? We strive for a portrayal that’s always free from any shade negativity, furthermore, feeling the need to prove ourselves: we’re just as intelligent, we have class. I feel the most important thing, in terms of art, is to know thy self, to appreciate the positivity and face the negativity, ultimately diving deeper into ones flaws.

What I find interesting about Short Cut’s is the film is obscure. Altman was nominated for Academy Award for Best Director in 1993, but he and his film Short Cuts lost to Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List. Since then, it’s been a film of mystery. I encourage anyone who wants to see a different style of story telling to pick it up—if there’s a cool enough video store in your area that carries the film. If not, I believe the whole film is on youtube. Ahh Good old youtube.