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Cut

Name: Cut
Director: Felipe Guerrero
Released: 2012
Duration: 70 min

Representation Score

5.0/10

Fair

2012

Director

Felipe Guerrero

Runtime

70 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Felipe Guerrero’s documentary succeeds as an ethnographic study that centers non-Western labor. By focusing on the rhythmic, choreographed movements of sugarcane harvesters, the film disrupts traditional Western storytelling structures and temporalities. The work achieves high marks for racial and cultural visibility. It elevates manual labor to a form of art, providing a meaningful depiction of ability to act through physical mastery within the Global South. However, the film lacks explicit identity-based storytelling. The absence of LGBTQ+ representation and specific gendered or disability-focused narratives results in a moderate overall diversity score.

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Category Breakdown

Does Cut have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on collective agricultural labor rather than individual identity. There is no evidence of LGBTQ+ characters or romantic subplots within the observational narrative.

How does Cut portray gender?

Fair

The documentary emphasizes the physical mechanics of harvesting. While it avoids traditional gendered hierarchies by focusing on shared labor, it lacks specific evidence of gendered power dynamics.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Cut?

Excellent

The work centers the lives of Colombian agricultural workers in Valle del Cauca. This shifts the cinematic gaze toward the social realities of the Global South.

How does Cut represent religion and culture?

Good

By treating manual labor as a rhythmic ritual, the film disrupts capitalist views of productivity. It emphasizes a communal worldview over individualistic achievement.

Does Cut include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no information available regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in this documentary.

Present on Screen

Centers the lived experiences and ability to act of Colombian agricultural workers.
Disrupts Western-centric documentary clichés by focusing on non-Anglo-Saxon labor.
Elevates manual work to a ritualistic, artistic choreography.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or romantic subplots.
Provides no evidence of gendered power dynamics or identity-driven narratives.
Offers no information regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Agricultural laborers in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, harvest a field of sugarcane using machetes. The camera keeps its distance as it observes their smooth movements. Soon the rhythmic movements of the machetes develop their own choreography, whilst time appears to expand.

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