Please contact us
with corrections
or breaking news
Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
(click on broll or dschwartz for all his posts)
One Cut, One Life: The Lives of Filmmakers How do you feel, what do you think at the very moment a film is over?
It’s obvious, isn’t it? There’s something important about that moment—I mean in terms of speaking or writing about this film you just saw, or, I guess, in terms simply of your private understanding.
I felt somber, sober at the conclusion of “One Cut, One Life”. I imagine that is the most common reaction being that it’s about two documentary filmmakers—one of whom is dying, and the other facing the tragic violent deaths of two dear friends—filming themselves, and then sharing their stories with the world.
I wondered what am I going to say about it. It is a powerful experience, seeing and hearing people being vulnerable, facing death. And, like it or not, the film puts you in an introspective mood.
Of course I recommend it. That’s one of my rules; I don’t write about a film unless I do so.
But, why this one?
It’s a matter of values. I believe it is valuable when human beings share their deepest thoughts and feelings. It is especially important for the sharer. However they are received, it is the sharer’s own response to their sharing that holds the possibility of one’s own insight and transformation. This value of vulnerability is one of the gifts given us by filmmakers Lucia Small and Ed Pincus. That introspective mood, also one of their gifts.
There’s another reason I recommend “One Cut, One Life”. When viewing screeners at home—with computer, telephone, refrigerator, and bathroom all within a few feet—I usually pause for any number of reasons. I was glued to my screen all 107 minutes of this film. Pincus’ and Small’s characters and journeys pulled me into their stories, their lives.