Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » SUNDANCE 2021: ‘Cusp’ Perfectly Captures Its Subjects and Space

SUNDANCE 2021: ‘Cusp’ Perfectly Captures Its Subjects and Space

Cait KennedyBy Cait Kennedy02/01/20213 Mins Read
Cusp Sundance
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email
Cusp Sundance
Content Warning: This review contains frank discussion of sexual assault.

Documentary filmmakers Parker Hill and Isabel Bethencourt chronicle the pains of adolescence and the, sometimes unwilling, transition from girlhood to womanhood in Cusp. Set in a small town in the Texas Hill Country, Cusp follows the lives of three teenage girls as they navigate heartbreaks, formative moments, and loss of innocence in a space that offers little more than pasture parties and trips to McDonald’s. In short, Cusp is a heartbreaking testament to the resiliency of young women.

Cusp struck me, as a viewer, on an extremely personal note because it was filmed in a town not far from where I grew up. Though the filmmakers protected their minor subjects by omitting certain details of their identities, several scenes in the film were instantly recognizable to me. In watching, and now writing about, the film the intimacy of shared space does more than allow me to judge how well the directors capture life in these small Texas towns. This personal connection sent me deep back into my own memories of what it was like to be a teenage girl in a small town. What it was like to be losing your innocence in a place that felt so oppressively small.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The central theme of Cusp is the loss of innocence. Something about the big screen makes teenage girls seem even younger than they are. At moments, one can watch these girls and warmly remember slumber parties and the small problem of not knowing what to wear to a party. The next moment this child speaks candidly about losing a court case to her molester, or the first time a boy pressured her to have sex. It sucks the air out of your body, as a viewer, to watch this strange balance of childhood and womanhood teeter along a line of nipple piercings and sneaking out. It’s a sad truth that most women can remember the first time their teen bodies were sexualized by an adult just as easily as they remember when their first period arrived. These girls are being forced to grow up before their time and it’s so painful to watch.

Hill and Bethencourt brilliantly execute a film that weaves a tapestry of girlhood, class issues, and a raw portrait of life in these rural communities. The amount of trust and openness shown by their subjects allows each of these attributes to be presented boldly and honestly. Again I must draw upon my own experiences growing up in these Hill Country towns, I went to school with young girls that were the same as the girls of Cusp. It is a weight on the film to be watching this exploration unfold, already knowing how many of the young women I knew ended up. Just as much as I was taken in by the thoughtful and thorough filmmaking, it’s nearly impossible to watch Cusp without whispering a prayer that these girls come out the other side okay. That they make it.

The mark of a great documentary is to allow your audience a complete look at a small window of the world. Cusp approaches its space and subjects with total awareness, mastery, and sensitivity. It is a difficult film to watch, but it is essential. Hill and Bethencourt manage to squeeze every drop of joy and hope out of life’s most grim realities.

Cusp premiered on January 30 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival as part of the U.S. Documentary competition.

Cusp
  • 7/10
    Rating - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

The mark of a great documentary is to allow your audience a complete look at a small window of the world. Cusp approaches its space and subjects with total awareness, mastery, and sensitivity. It is a difficult film to watch, but it is essential. Hill and Bethencourt manage to squeeze every drop of joy and hope out of life’s most grim realities.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleADVANCED REVIEW: ‘King in Black: Black Knight,’ Issue #1
Next Article SUNDANCE 2021: ‘Land’ is on Explored, but Solid Ground
Cait Kennedy
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Caitlin is a sweater enthusiast, film critic, and lean, mean writing machine based in Austin, TX. Her love of film began with being shown Rosemary’s Baby at a particularly impressionable age and she’s been hooked ever since. She loves a good bourbon and hates people who talk in movies. Caitlin has been writing since 2014 and you can find her work on Film Inquiry, The Financial Diet, Nightmarish Conjurings, and many others. Follow her on Twitter at @CaitDoes.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here