Sundance Review: Cusp Explores the Lives of Texas Teens with Intentional Aimlessness – The Film Stage

Theres something very crass about Cusp, and almost all of that comes from its design. Its aimless like its subjects, and its even more hopeless. Everyone worth sympathizing with is defined by some sort of trauma, and even some of the despicable people in play have their own traumas too. Whats striking, though, is the approach that sympathetic people here dont fully realize the lasting effects of what theyve gone through. After all, theyre too busy distracting themselves from it.

Brittney, Aaloni, and Autumn live in rural Texas, and its approaching the end of summer. They get drunk and high and hang out with guys, but they dont really do to pass the time. In some way, shape, or form, theyve all been abused. Some of the assailants were other kids, some parents friends. When they talk about other girls rapes, the discussions border on banal. Sure, this documentary will feel distant and impersonal to some, but the truth is that sexual violence is so common that talking about it seems easy. At least, its easier than actually being assaulted.

With Cusp, Isabel Bethencourt & Parker Hill dont try to get personal with their subjects. They know its impossible to see exactly whats going on in these girls minds, and they know itd be false to pretend they can. If Brittney, Aaloni, and Autumn cant confront their own demons for more than 30 seconds at a time, how would two filmmakers be able to? The intent here isnt to show something new. Its to focus on what we dont know. If we happen to come across a pearl of wisdom, thats great, but that simply isnt the core of this experience.

We wade through the padding instead. We get McDonalds, weed, crushed-up pills, and heavy drinking. As for therapy? Theres just one mention of it when Autumn recounts her experience with sexual abuse. Only the people and places that surround these girls are worth discussing in earnest here. Only physical sensations, whether its substance abuse or shooting a gun, truly exist for these three. Everything else is just too fleeting, too repetitive.

Its far from a pleasant experience, but its also a brisk one at just 83 minutes. The problem that comes with this, though, is that Bethencourt & Hill get awfully close at points to defining these girls by their abuse. Just who are Britney, Aaloni, and Autumn aside from this? Its clear they dont have any concrete goals aside from living somewhere else, but aside from one moment where Autumn is painting by herself, what are their hobbies? While Cusp benefits from its distant filmmaking for stretches, it sometimes depersonalizes its subjects by mistake.

Perhaps theres some intent there. After all, the directors fixate on nature, neon, and Americana as much as they do suffering, and it gets to a point where its aesthetics feel like theyre meant to distract the audience like how hedonism distracts these girls. The result isnt perfect, but it manages to feel consistent. Theres no immediate future on display here. Theres also no real hope. To its credit, Cusp doesnt even try to fake a smile.

Cusp premiered at Sundance Film Festival.

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Sundance Review: Cusp Explores the Lives of Texas Teens with Intentional Aimlessness - The Film Stage