In the West, we think of ourselves as treating women with the utmost respect, and we think of "Da Muslim" as a culture which treats women as second rate citizens. But "Cusp" shows clearly that, at least American culture, isn't all that different from what we imagine Islamic culture does to women.

"Cusp" follows three 15-16 year old Texan girls (Brittney, Autumn and Aaloni),on the cusp of womanhood. It seems that the filmmakers met these three teens through a sexual assault group therapy for teens in rural Texas. Both Brittney and Autumn are part of the 85-90% group of rape victims: they have been raped by people they knew: family friends, who were friends with one or both of their parents. Autumn, by her mother's best friend, a man, and this is the reason her parents are divorced and she lives with her father. Brittney has been raped by her father's childhood buddy. The relationship between the two men isn't made entirely clear, or, I've missed it. Aaloni has an absentee father, who is in the military and who has been in Afghanistan for many years. The problem here is that when he gets back, he wants to completely lord over his family, and Aaloni doesn't accept that no more. Things come to ahead during her sisters 13th birthday when her dad (who's never shown) tells her sister that her bare midriff shirt is too revealing. Aaloni explodes: who does this man think he is? We get the impression her father acts more like a dictator who orders his family around than a parent who protects and listens. Aaloni's relationship with boys her own age isn't that much better: "You can say no to boys all you want, but in the end they're gonna get their way" she says. When asked why that is, she replies "boys are very powerful". Autumn, equally, is disappointed by her older boyfriend who promised her to not have sex with her but "I guess, apparently that time, he forgot what he promised me."

The impression this documentary leaves of how American teen girls are threated is pretty bleak. They are subject to either outright rape, or forced into having unwanted sex before they are totally ready to do that, often with boys they consider their boyfriends. One might claim they are an exception, but recent news stories of white men who get away with rape, either because they're rich, in a position of power over them or well known or all three, are seeping through to the media. Like trump, Larry Nassar (raped American gold medal gymnast girls) and SCOTUS justice B. Kavanaugh, where one gets the distinct impression these cases go underreported. The American patriarchy doesn't like to report about (white) males who rape the girls in their family or circle of friends.

And the 10 previous reviews here doesn't make me hopeful this American culture won't change anytime soon.

In that sense, the ending of "Cusp", a glossy MTV-styled quick montage of happy flashes of the good times the girls do have, and which also shows their friendship between each other and other female adults, seems somewhat out of touch, but I guess it wanted to leave the viewer with a bit of optimism.

8 oth 10.

The Melancholic Alcoholic.

In the West, we think of ourselves as treating women with the utmost respect, and we think of "Da Muslim" as a culture which treats women as second rate citizens. But "Cusp" shows clearly that, at least American culture, isn't all that different from what we imagine Islamic culture does to women.

"Cusp" follows three 15-16 year old Texan girls (Brittney, Autumn and Aaloni),on the cusp of womanhood. It seems that the filmmakers met these three teens through a sexual assault group therapy for teens in rural Texas. Both Brittney and Autumn have been raped by family friends, who were friends with one or both of their parents. Autumn, by her mother's best friend, a man, and this is the reason her parents are divorced and she lives with her father. Brittney has been raped by her father's childhood buddy. The relationship between the two men isn't made entirely clear, or, I've missed it. Aaloni has an absentee father, who is in the military and who has been in Afghanistan for many years. The problem here is that when he gets back, he wants to completely lord over his family, and Aaloni doesn't accept that no more. Things come to ahead during her sisters 13th birthday when her dad (who's never shown) tells her sister that her bare midriff shirt is too revealing. Aaloni explodes: who does this man think he is? We get the impression her father acts more like a dictator who orders his family around than a parent who protects and listens. Aaloni's relationship with boys her own age isn't that much better: "You can say no to boys all you want, but in the end they're gonna get their way" she says. When asked why that is, she replies "boys are very powerful". Autumn, equally, is disappointed by her older boyfriend who promised her to not have sex with her but "I guess, apparently that time, he forgot what he promised me."

The impression this documentary leaves of how American teen girls are threated is pretty bleak. They are subject to either outright rape, or forced into having unwanted sex before they are totally ready to do that, often with boys they consider their boyfriends. One might claim they are an exception, but recent news stories of white men who get away with rape, either because they're rich, in a position of power over them or well known or all three like trump, Larry Nassar (raped American gold medal gymnast girls) and SCOTUS justice B. Kavanaugh, are seeping through to the media, where one gets the distinct impression these cases go underreported. The American patriarchy doesn't like to report about (white) males who rape the girls in their family or circle of friends.

And the 10 previous reviews here doesn't make me hopeful this American culture won't change anytime soon.

In that sense, the ending of "Cusp", a glossy MTV-styled quick montage of happy flashes of the good times the girls do have, and which also shows their friendship between each other and other female adults, seems somewhat out of touch, but I guess it wanted to leave the viewer with a bit of optimism.

8 oth 10.

The Melancholic Alcoholic.

In general, I tend to be a pretty big fan of human nature/drama documentaries, which is what drew me to "Cusp". But this little documentary is so far-reaching (in terms of themes) and so hands-off (in terms of content) that it is difficult to know exactly what to make of it--only that I didn't enjoy it all that much.

For a very basic overview, "Cusp" follows three teenage girls during a Texas summer as they deal with male relationships, various degrees of troubled home situations, drugs/alcohol/parties, and their entrance (or lack thereof) into a larger or adult world.

Though obviously there is always some editorial content in any documentary (simple deciding what footage gets used and what doesn't provides that),in "Cusp" it truly comes at that very minimum of an amount. It's not like directors Isabel Bethencourt & Parker Hill actively ask the girls any questions or probe into certain topics. This is very much "point the camera and let it capture what it may" style filmmaking.

On one hand, this tactic produces what is probably the closest-to-reality vision of events one could ever see (even considering that the nature of the present camera itself may lead to performative aspects). In other words, it captures the essence of reality simply by not pressing for it. There are indeed a few moments of clarity where the girls stumble across relatable quandaries that have been pondered by young people across the decades.

But that leads to what I consider to be the major problem with "Cusp": just what, exactly, is it going for or hoping to accomplish? Is it about the fraught nature of teenage girl-dom? Free/aimless summers of youth? Unstable home lives? Complicated relationships with boys? Because the filmmakers don't define any boundaries, it can be difficult to know what the take-home points are supposed to be.

Overall, I think that one's enjoyment of "Cusp" may largely be determined by an individual's ability (or interest) to ascribe meaning to mundanity. This film gives the viewer absolutely nothing in terms of parameters, so it is entirely up to us to piece together the take-home messages. I guess I prefer my documentaries with a bit more of an ingrained thesis or "leading questions", hence the low star ranking.