by Marinell Haegelin

Directors have a vision of the story they want to tell. In postproduction, however, realities set in. Producers, looking at the bottom line, also dictate what their audiences want, and length. Whole scenes can be cut, i.e. discarded; a compromise is the Director’s Cut. Editor’s task is stitching reams of footage into a seamless narrative, whereby every frame moves the story forward. Understandably, directors with the editor(s) have to make tough choices. Otherwise, a film moving/advancing at a solid pace stumbles, which results in audience attention diminishing. Which is the consequence of too many films I saw this year: THE ORNITHOLOGIST, TWO LOVERS AND A BEAR, THE TRANSFIGURATION, and GRADUATION, to name a few. The hard cuts can make a film memorable. Only KINDIL EL BAHR was too short; maybe, the director wisely realized all had been said/shown in 40 minutes.