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Cusp

director: Isabel Bethencourt, Parker Hill

original title: Cusp

country: United States

year: 2021

running time: 83 min.

synopsis

A chronicle of one summer through the eyes of three young girls in the holiday season timelessness of a smalltown. An intimate, ambient tri-portrait follows the protagonists through the bleak environment of gas stations, fast food joints and caravans in which the girls experience their first love affairs, sex, drunkenness, disappointments and desperations. A poetic treatment of the purple-coloured sky and red sunsets, bordering on lyricism, lies in sharp contrast to the local down-to-earth existence, spontaneous killing of boredom, goofing around and modest parties. In open talks and social interactions, they bring up etching topics of traumatic family breakdowns, aggressive machoism, sexual exploitation and toxic laws of survival and satisfaction.

„In Cusp, we’re seeing three girls in a highly specific setting — a Texas town where teenagers play with machine guns, and where the lack of supervision is at once economic and spiritual.“ (Owen Gleiberman, Variety)

biography

Parker Hill is a New York based photographer and filmmaker, author of several short fiction and documentary films. Isabelle Bethencourt grew up in California where she studied cultural anthropology, camera and documentary filmmaking. She currently lives in NYC. For their feature debut Cusp, the authors were awarded the Special Jury Mention for Debut at Sundance 2021 festival.