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In a possible future, science has created a way to implant an organic recorder, a so-called Zoe implant, which stores all the sounds and images that the person experiences from birth until death. This implant is inserted into the person before conception, and the parents will not inform the child about the device until a mature age when the person can deal with the psychological stress that this device might generate. The memories then become accessible for future generations and can be accessed in a similar manner in which a database of information is. However, the information is left to a person called a cutter who edits the memories in a manner desired by the deceased’s family members. ***

The Cutter has a code that they must maintain:

1. A Cutter cannot give away or sell any Zoe footage.

2. A Cutter cannot have a Zoe implant.

3. A Cutter cannot mix Zoe footage from different lives for a Rememory. ***

Alan W. Hakman (Robin Williams) is such a cutter who only works alone. A traumatic experience from Alan's childhood appears to continue to induce strong feelings of guilt within him. It seems as if the internal guilt that he suffers from has led him to become a cutter who edits people's memories. Through his job he can emphasize on the good and pleasant memories of the deceased while shouldering other’s sins. ***

His success has led him to be hired by individuals that want him edit the most horrific cases that contain some truly disturbing memories, memories that most people would turn their head away from, as they are disgusting and vile. Nonetheless, Alan becomes their sin-eater who removes their sins from their memories, and provides a commemorative service to people who want to experience the positive side of the departed person despite past transgressions. ***

Alan merely exists, without judgment or prejudice, as he edits away the nastiness of other people's lives. He does not do much besides working and looking into other people’s lives. A female friend, played by Mira Sorvino, tells him that he must get a life of his own, and not try to live through others. It might suggest that Alan is into voyeurism, but this notion is never elaborated. Instead Alan has a constant weary expression on his face as if he held a greater wisdom. Yet, Alan never comes across as arrogant, but rather he displays an affectionate sympathy and deeper understanding for other’s feelings. ***

A growing organization is raising their voice against the company that makes the Zoe implants. The members have strange and bizarre tattoos, which indicate that they are against the idea of Zoe implants. The leader of the organization, a former cutter named Fletcher (James Caviezel), seems to be very interested in Alan's newest assignment, as it might be a way for Fletcher to hurt the company that produces the Zoe implants. This builds up a suspenseful angle to the story, but never becomes the main theme of the film, as Alan continues to deal with his internal guilt. ***

Initially, the film might seem to be a suspenseful science fictions tale, however, as the story unfolds it turns into a philosophical science fiction drama. Final Cut offers an interesting cinematic experience with a very appealing concept, which intentionally leaves the audience with the purpose of triggering deeper contemplation. Robin Williams’s performance is remarkable, as it brings a face with authentic weariness and concern, which projects the feelings that Alan might be feeling inside to the audience. Omar Naim does a wonderful job in both directing and writing the story, as he does not force an opinion on the audience, but lets the audience think for themselves in regards to the issues at hand. *** ---

The mood that Final Cut generates is heavily provided through the cinematography, camera movement, and camera filters used when the film was shot. All of these aspects appear brilliantly detailed on the DVD, as the filters help accentuate the atmosphere in the film through nice use of grays and warm colors when needed. The blacks are also very solid on this DVD, which helps further the visual experience of the film. The image is presented in an anamorphic widescreen with the aspect ratio of 2.35:1, which is clean of visual fragments. ***

Those of you with a good receiver will not get a super performance form your home theater sound system. However, the Dolby Digital 5.1 performs well as the sound flows smoothly without hiss or extraneous noise. On occasions, the sound might seem quiet, but this is probably intended in order to enhance the cinematic moment of Robin Williams’s character. Yet, there are also moments when the Dolby Digital 5.1 gets to use all of its channels in an efficient manner. There is also a Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround to complement the DVD’s audio to give it a solid cinematic experience through headphones. ***

The extras can be found in the FAQ section, which offers a number of interesting features. The extras are arranged in the order that they are presented in this review, which starts with the theatrical trailer. The theatrical trailer is presented in DD 2.0 audio and provides information on what can be expected if the audience decides to watch the film. The second extra on the list is the Trailer Gallery, which consists of two trailers Saw and I am David. ***

The Making of Final Cut presents how Omar Naim generated the idea of writing and directing the film. It also discloses how much Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino liked the script and why they decided to be a part of the film. This documentary further depicts how Naim got his story to be read and how the people around him respected him for his professionalism and talent. It is an interesting 26-minute documentary on the making of the film, which provides some insights to how the film came about. ***

The two features, Production Design and Special Effects, are very different, yet they depict how essential they are to the film’s success. Production Design displays how important it was to capture the mood of the film through proper décor and set design while the Special Effects visualizes the imaginary. In essence, one illustrates the tangible while the other brings the audience the intangible and together they help generate this unique world in which Alan tries to deal with his own predicaments. It is a clever way of using both of these features to help the audience understand the teamwork it takes to make a feature film such as Final Cut. ***

The deleted scenes section contains three scenes. The first scene of Thelma and Fletcher could have been worked into the film, yet it is not a necessary scene as the same message is suggested in the film. Moving Pictures is the second scene that does not fit with the film, as it suggests a bond between Thelma and Alan. However, it is a powerful scene well worth a viewing. Lucky Rabbit’s Foot is the final deleted scene, which could have been incorporated into the film, as it would help understand a little more of Alan’s internal guilt. Whether these scenes are in the film or not does not affect the final product, which still is a remarkable film. ***

The final feature From Pre-production to Screen: Storyboard and On Set Footage Comparison brings the audience a little closer to the making of the film. It displays how the cinematic ideas developed and changed into the final product, which the audience can see in the film. Two sequences from the film are used in the comparison, Alan’s Apartment and The Graveyard Scene. These are illustrated through camera shots and images from the storyboard drawings that are depicted simultaneously. The idea is not new, but it is equally interesting every time one gets to see the process of making film, which in the end gives away a little of the magic in cinema. *** ---