Malik Salaam’s Cut is a bruising yet beautiful slice of Atlanta street life, where ambition collides with survival and the dream of something better can vanish with one bad choice. It’s a story that blends the emotional grit of John Singleton with the lyrical undercurrent of streetwise Shakespeare, giving voice to characters often left on the margins.
Bunny (Ebone Camp) arrives in Atlanta determined to leave behind the small-town oppression and substance abuse she grew up with. Balancing a job and college classes isn’t easy, and when her financial aid suddenly disappears, desperation creeps in. That’s when she meets Renee (Simone Johns), a dancer with a knack for fast money and an even faster lifestyle. Before long, Bunny is drawn into a flashier, more dangerous world, especially after falling for Edward (Jawara Mills), a smooth-talking music producer whose talent is undermined by a destructive addiction.
What begins as a hustle for stability quickly spirals into a downward slide of drugs, bad deals, and betrayals. A fatal overdose triggers a chain reaction of violence, forcing everyone to confront the consequences of the choices that brought them there. Renee fights to pull Bunny back from the edge, but in Salaam’s world, salvation is never guaranteed.
The performances are what give Cut its staying power. Camp brings vulnerability and quiet strength to Bunny, while Johns infuses Renee with warmth and complexity. Mills is magnetic as Edward, both charming and infuriating, and Chris Jeffreys turns in a sincere, heartbreaking performance as Chester. Salaam’s script gives each character depth, avoiding stereotypes in favor of layered humanity.
Visually, the film pops with vibrant color and a lived-in sense of place. The handheld camerawork adds immediacy, though it’s sometimes overused, becoming a little jarring over the nearly two-hour runtime. Still, the editing is sharp, the pacing assured, and the story refuses to let go until its final frame.
Salaam, a self-taught filmmaker rooted in Old Atlanta, channels his years of poetry, documentary work, and personal grit into a narrative that feels both personal and universal. With Cut, he’s not just telling a cautionary tale about addiction; he’s holding up a mirror to the seduction of quick success, the fragility of trust, and the steep price of survival.
Cut is raw, emotional, and unapologetically human, leaving an impact that stays with you well beyond the final scene. You can stream it now on Tubi.
Jessie Hobson