Day 141: Short Cuts

"Wouldn't it be a trip if Alex Trebek bought a nude painting of me?"

It’s kind of fun to watch a film from years past and distinguish what aspects of it are precursors to the films we see today. It’s like an Easter egg hunt except without your family members obnoxiously competing for eggs. As you can imagine, most of these hints at the future are found within the work of directors who are institutions in the film realm. From Scorsese to Kubrick, the films of today are filled with their influence. Perhaps one of the more overlooked directors to have left his imprint on film is Robert Altman. Altman, a man with a deft eye for character, can arguably be seen as the grandfather of sprawling character pieces. If you look at the work of Paul Thomas Anderson, whose films like Boogie Nights and Magnolia contain a massive cast, you can see Altman bubbling at the seams. Yet, amongst film circles, Altman seems to be the odd man out when it comes to his holding on today’s films. If there was ever an Altman film that assisted in the formation of today’s foundation it would be Short Cuts.

Short Cuts is arguably the most ambitious film of the 90's as Robert Altman follows the lives of numerous Californians who are trying to make it from day to day. To go in depth about the film’s plot would be asinine considering it floats between twenty two different characters, each of which with their own story to tell. With the varying degrees of stories to cover, the film also weaves in and out of various levels of tones. One might guess this would make for an erratic film that’s trying to find an equilibrium between all of its parts, but the film is able to strike a balance for its epic three hour running time.  This is a testament to not only the performers in the film, which range between thespians, musicians, and comedians, but also of Altman’s control of his scenes. Filled with an all star cast, "Short Cuts", as alluded to earlier,  is the precursor to Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia. Where Magnolia is about the family unit (more specifically father issues), Short Cuts is about the sexual perversity and distance that can swell underneath a relationship between a man and woman, as well as the distraught that surfaces in the confines of one’s home. Granted, the film also possesses a macro theme of life being a continuous story, but  the heart of it resides in the broken relationships that exist within Altman’s frame.  

Per usual, Altman is a man who knows how to work the camera and with this he creates some naturally beautiful compositions. And as usual, Altman is able to capture great performances from everyone that graces the screen. From Julianne Moore's desensitized portrayal of a sexually explicit artist to Chris Penn's brooding performance of a husband who is growing sexually distant from his wife, everyone brings their best. If not for the acting, Short Cuts and Altman's ambition may have over extended its reach. After all, with a running time of over three hours and many stories developing slowly, the acting at times is crucial in keeping the audience's attention. There are some dead and tired parts in this film mainly because of Altman's effort to make these particular stories feel like real life. Such moments are character driven and dialogue based, facets of film that can seem mundane. But, this is not to say this film is small and has no action. Instead, it’s loaded with a lot of small, intimate moments that allow for scenes of grandstanding to resonate as they come along.

The funny thing about Short Cuts is that it’s often dismissed quickly because the three hour running time doesn’t come up with one discernable strand to connect all of the characters. In many respects, it’s the antithesis to the films it inspired, like Crash and Babel, where everything is tied up with one tangible device. Instead, it opts to create an environment where discussion can breed based on the ambiguous. This further supplements Altman's overall plan for Short Cuts, which is for it to resemble life as much as possible. From the serendipitous moments to those awkward talks with the people we love, Altman strives to replicate only a handful of days that our long lives may resemble. In the end, I'm sure many viewers will have wanted resolutions to be dispensed, but just like in life, sometimes we aren't afforded such endings. We don't get short cuts from our problems and Altman adheres to this.