The Final Cut (2004)

The Final Cut: Directed by Omar Naim. With Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, Jim Caviezel, Mimi Kuzyk. Set in a world with memory recording implants, Alan Hakman is a cutter, someone with the power of final edit over people’s recorded histories. His latest assignment is one that puts him in danger.

“u0026quot;The Final Cutu0026quot; is a dark cross between u0026quot;Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindu0026quot;, u0026quot;One-Hour Photou0026quot; and u0026quot;Citizen Kane.u0026quot;u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile this is an original screenplay by writer/director Omar Naim, it is faithful to a Philip Dick-type imagining of a techno-world in the not-so-distant future, with the bleakness, of both the excellent production design, cinematography, music and the story, only briefly mitigated.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI like how gradually we see the explanations and issues of memories from many different view points and issues, while one lives and dreams and how one lives on in other peopleu0026#39;s memories, as a multiplier effect in touching other people and our own souls. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJust as the interviews of family recall the journalist trying to understand Kane, the fine scene is a nice visual play on his famous mystifying u0026quot;Rosebud,u0026quot; ironically demonstrating that someone outside oneu0026#39;s head can never understand what is significant and meaningful to an individual, what goes into making that unique personality. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile Iu0026#39;m not sure itu0026#39;s such a bombshell that eulogies –in this case as visually edited u0026quot;re-memoriesu0026quot; culled from brain implants–are whitewashes (as pointedly satirized by Tom Wolfe in u0026quot;Bonfire of the Vanitiesu0026quot;) and the political protesters seemed almost to be satirically out of a T. C. Boyle novel, James Caviezelu0026#39;s seriousness keeps them out of Unabomber territory. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne awkward miscast is Mira Sorvino. As if itu0026#39;s not already obvious why a Robin Williams would be attracted to a blonde bombshell, another layer of motivation is added, but it just makes absolutely no sense why she was drawn to him. Not only does this seem yet another instance of filmu0026#39;s older man/younger woman tendencies, the character would have made a lot more sense as an older woman with a past. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe effective multiple screens showing the editing of u0026quot;re-memoriesu0026quot; may be difficult to distinguish on the eventual DVD, but I wasnu0026#39;t sure if the blown-up look was from projection issues.”