In the West, we think of ourselves as treating women with the utmost respect, and we think of Islam as a culture which treats women as second rate citizens. But "Cusp" shows clearly that American culture, isn't all that different from Islam. Or, what Westerners like to tell themselves Islamic culture does to women.
"Cusp" follows three 15-16 year old Texan girls (Brittney, Autumn and Aaloni), on the cusp of womanhood. It seems that the filmmakers met these three teens through a sexual assault group therapy for teens in rural Texas. Both Brittney and Autumn are part of the 85-90% group of rape victims: they have been raped by people they knew: family friends, who were friends with one or both of their parents. Autumn was raped by her mother's best friend, a man, and this is the reason her parents have split up and she lives with her father. Brittney has been raped by her father's childhood buddy. The relationship between the two men isn't made entirely clear, or, I've missed it. Aaloni has an absentee father, who is in the military and who has been in Afghanistan for many years. The problem here is that when he gets back, he wants to completely lord over his family, and Aaloni doesn't accept that no more. Things come to ahead during her sisters 13th birthday when her dad (who's never shown) tells her sister that her bare midriff shirt is too revealing. Aaloni explodes: who does this man think he is? We get the impression her father acts more like a dictator who orders his family around than a parent who protects and listens. Aaloni's relationship with boys her own age isn't that much better: "You can say no to boys all you want, but in the end they're gonna get their way" she says. When asked why that is, she replies "boys are very powerful". Autumn, equally, is disappointed by her older boyfriend who promised her to not have sex with her but "I guess, apparently that one time, he forgot all about his promise."
The impression this documentary leaves of how American teen girls are threated is pretty bleak. They are subject to either outright rape, or forced into having unwanted sex before they are ready to do that, often with boys they consider their boyfriends. One might claim they are an exception, but recent news stories of white men who get away with rape, either because they're rich, in a position of power over those women or well known or all three, are seeping through to the media. Like trump, Larry Nassar (raped American gold medal gymnast girls) and SCOTUS judge B. Kavanaugh, we get the distinct impression these cases go underreported. It's almost as if the American patriarchy/meda complex doesn't like to report about (white) males who rape the girls who are part of their own family or in their circle of friends.
And the 10 previous reviews here don't make me hopeful this American culture will change anytime soon.
In that sense, the ending of "Cusp", a glossy MTV-styled quick montage of happy flashes of the good times the girls dó have, and which also shows their friendship with each other and with other female adults, seems somewhat out of touch. I guess the filmmaker wanted to end on a positive note and give the viewer with a bit of optimism.
8 oth 10.
The Melancholic Alcoholic.
