Cutaways
A former Sundance award-winning filmmaker, now cancelled by social media, is forced to direct online porn films for a sleazy producer.
Excerpt
There’s self sabotage, and then there’s Mark Schwab’s Cutaways (2025), a queer drama that could easily be touted as a “psychological thriller”. From start to finish Cutaways raises a variety of red flags that you just can’t look away from.
Running Through My Head
There’s self sabotage, and then there’s Mark Schwab’s Cutaways (2025), a queer drama that could easily be touted as a “psychological thriller”. We follow director Evan Quick’s (Silas Kade) fall from favor as he lands in the cradle of sin that is the valley porn industry. The disgraced filmmaker was “canceled” due to allegations of misconduct and forced to direct porn films to keep on the lights. He’s not even doing a great job at that, but he has secured himself a 3 picture deal from local self-made man Sammy (the incomparable James Duvall). From start to finish Cutaways raises a variety of red flags that you just can’t look away from.
Times are tough for Evan Quick. His mortgage lender is getting sassy over his inviting outgoing message – “Like I give a sh*t” – and he lives in the studio where he waits for his “stars” to arrive. Enter the early and optimistic Andy (Fernando), a former Disney star who is now finding ways to live his new life as an actor in gay porn. He’s easy going and while his attitude is part of what keeps him going, he also thanks a mixture called a “dissociative ice cream sundae”. This poppers like vial consists of molly, “Calvin Klein” and benzos that he “earned” from Sammy. Before we get to Sammy, we’re led into the state of Evan’s world through his interactions with Andy. We learn that Andy had a film at Sundance which was the talk of the town.
Before he became persona non grata, Evan was making waves with his debut feature Ghost Town. Andy lets Evan know that the iconic queer indie film director Gregg Araki was interested in meeting him. Evan insists Andy must be confused so Andy shakes it off and they ready for the scene. They are both natural flirts and Andy offers Evan some refreshment but his “pink cadillac” won’t turn over. Likely due to stress and trauma though as much as he loathes his state in life, he’s still able to show up as a director when it matters.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Andy’s scene partner Ryan (Diogo Hausen) shows up in a hazmat suit ready to work. Once he gets cleaned off he joins Andy on the bed and Evan begins to direct them through a scene. I laughed because evidently the film is in black and white and features lots of blurry movement that relies on cutaways for any clarity. Evan dons an old Hollywood by way of the mid Atlantic accent as he guides the men through the scene, almost done when they’re interrupted by a technical malfunction and the entrance of Sammy and Trace (Jason Caceres).
From this moment Cutaways becomes a cautionary tale that’s so absurd it must be based on true events. And it’s this truth that makes the audience question every interaction up until this pivotal moment. As a people we’re familiar with the idea of “cancel culture” and specifically how its permanence depends on how many intersectionalities you possess. White men come back from being cancelled without a scratch, but a gay white man? That’s another story. However, it may not be the complete story. We find out why Evan was canceled but his actions will have you questioning whether or not he’s the victim. Even the most innocent character in this film isn’t innocent at all and when a major event is treated as a mild inconvenience, it makes you wonder where the heart is.
The passion is still there, the desperation, conniving and dismissal of self dignity, but to what end? I love that they used Gregg Araki as the ultimate connection not only because he and James Duvall were frequent collaborators (the Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy remains one of my favorite queer film collections), but because it’s hyperspecific enough for this all to be a dream. There are parts of this movie that feel like they are happening for Evan, rather than to him. He’s at his lowest and he constantly says he has nothing to lose which makes him reckless in his actions. Sammy begins this running bit after giving Andy a new vial of candy saying that it’s clean and will take him to new heights. Everytime someone mentions that Sammy “gave” the drugs to Andy, Sammy is quick to correct, “ I didn’t give him anything! He earned it!”
Which leaves the audience to ask, did Evan earn what he has? For better or for worse, we know he has a 3 picture deal with Sammy, and he has two dedicated – if not stupidly beautiful and a little vapid – actors, he’s got the space, the equipment and the time. And it would be one thing if he said he’d trade it all for another shot at greatness, but this isn’t that type of movie. Even seems to not know if he has another shot in him, and he’s constantly pushed in the way of moving opportunity and does everything he can to dodge the momentum.
Cutaways presents a lovely conundrum where suddenly every entendre is doubled. It’s the subtext that’s forward facing and the audience searches for the context in film. For a film about cutaways, there are surprisingly few and that’s interesting to think about too. Cutaways is well thought out and is filled with a lot of quotable lines that will keep the viewer engaged for a long time after watching.
But It’s Over Now
Silas Kade has a softness that he can turn on and off with a switch. He gives Evan Quick a sympathetic vibe, but it’s one that’s based on circumstance. You can fully imagine the ego-filled monster he likely was at the top of his craft. Fernando as Andy was sad and lovely. In his younger acting life he actually starred as one of the Hardy brothers in The New Hardy Boys (2016) series. He and Silas make a Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century joke and it fits so well with both of their characters in wildly different ways. Hausen plays Ryan as the donkey he is. Goodnatured to a point, but ready to tuck tail and run when needed. He provided some much needed comedic relief. Duval’s Sammy was seductively sleazy and he looked like he reeked of Acqua di Gio or some other almost fancy mens cologne (complimentary). Finally, Jason Caceres whose dedication to supporting queer projects should be commended. He’s a great actor and has the exact right amount of self confidence to be wreckless, but enough smarts to know if he’s giving up his virtue, the director better darn well have the shot! The ensemble all played off each other beautifully and really were the glue that made Cutaways stick.
Production wise, the direction, cinematography and pacing are all really well done. The acting comes off a bit like a play and it works for the film, especially since it’s all shot in one location with no exterior shots. The only slight flaw is the vo-sound which fluctuated wildly and ended up with half lines being yelled into my ears. It’s a small price to pay for a story that was a lot more heady than I thought it would be.
All in all, I would recommend this film that boldly plays truth like a game that you’re not even sure how to win, but you won’t mind spending 89 minutes figuring it out!
Score 6.5/10