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CUTS

Short Psychological Thriller

Official Selection & Best of the Festival Nominee
Los Angeles Short Film Festival

Semi-Finalist
Hollywood International Diversity Film Festival
Zed Fest Film Festival & Screenplay Competition

Semi-Finalist - Zed Fest Film Festival  Screenplay Competition - 2026.png

LOGLINE

When a socially isolated outsider finds belonging inside a Black barbershop, his growing fixation on the charismatic barber who welcomes him in spirals into a dangerous obsession that threatens to destroy the very community he longs to be part of.

SYNOPSIS

 

A socially isolated man stumbles into a Black barbershop and, for the first time, experiences a sense of belonging. Drawn in by the warmth, humor, and cultural rhythm of the space, he forms an unexpected bond with the barber who welcomes him in.

 

But what begins as admiration slowly transforms into fixation. As his need for connection intensifies, boundaries begin to blur, and his presence becomes increasingly disruptive. What was once a sanctuary of community and trust turns into a space of unease, forcing the barber to confront a dangerous and deeply personal threat.

WRITER'S STATEMENT

 

CUTS explores loneliness, masculinity, and the human need for belonging—particularly within spaces that carry deep cultural significance.

 

The Black barbershop is more than a setting; it is a space of identity, ritual, and community. This story examines what happens when someone who exists outside that cultural framework gains access to it, and how the desire to belong can evolve into something invasive and destructive.

 

At its core, CUTS is a psychological thriller about proximity, trust, and the fragile boundaries that hold communities together.

Tone & Style

  • Psychological Thriller

  • Slow-burn tension

  • Intimate, character-driven

  • Contained setting

  • Cultural realism grounded in Black communal space

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Comparable Films

  • Get Out

  • One Hour Photo

  • The Gift

  • Nightcrawler

Status

  • Short Screenplay

  • Festival Circuit (2026)

  • Open to development and production opportunities​

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