Secret Cutting

I began self-injuring at the age of about 5 or 6 and still struggle with it today at age 34. (Although it is mostly under control, the urges are still there and cuts occur maybe once a year now.) For the most part I think the movie did a pretty good job-- but her reactions as she was cutting at times were unrealistic... almost euphoric or even orgasmic.... and the spreading the blood all over the hallway just doesn't happen. I always kept it as contained as possible and was able to keep it a secret for a long time. I did agree with the frantics going on as she was searching for a razor, anything sharp-- I've been there, rushed to the drawer only to find there isn't anything in there to use. You'll find anything you can to make into a tool that'll do the trick.

I guess I don't know about others, but the night when she went to that guy's house and let him and all his friends have his way with her.... just also didn't fit. But maybe it did-- just maybe to emphasize the fact that she would inflict pain on herself anyway she could.

Another scene that comes to mind-- in the car, with the cigarette lighter. When her parents found her out there doing that, she looked stoned and happy... again, to me was unrealistic. It did bring a great deal of relief when emotional pain was building up, but didn't bring a euphoria to me.... just made me stop my mind-racing and just calm down. But it got to the point where even crazy HAPPY feelings made me want to cut too. Really anytime I had strong emotions I would turn to that instead of trying to express anything.

Anyhoooo.... overall a good movie, but as usual a few things seem to have been over-dramatized for effect.

I have a loved one who has engaged in this type of activity. This movie was both painful and insightful to watch. Having lived through all of the emotions and feelings of the parents and friends, it was strange to realize that this condition is much more common than I had ever imagined. It was also a strong impetus to show this movie to my loved one and help them through the issues, as much as I could. It has been a long time since anything else has happened, and I believe that this movie had a bit of an impact.

The acting is a little stilted/scripted, and the story is a bit predictable, but the power of the story is still there. This is a dangerous, disfiguring, and potentially debilitating condition, and if this movie helped one person, or saved one life, it was worth it. If anyone knows of or loves someone who repeatedly harms themself, this movie is a must see, and I applaud the producers, crew, and cast, as well as the USA Network for providing insight into what is a very scary, but very important issue.

While I did not think this movie was terrible, I didn't think it was great either. But, it did have the creepy factor down. It put me in a numb, thoughtless mood for a few hours after I finished watching it. The scene that I really think got me was when she used the razor and cut her stomach, etc.

I thought that this was a pretty decent film for someone who knew nothing about cutting. However, I am really sick of these "awareness" movies, about things like cutting, eating disorders, etc., who try to show a "typical" victim. Even when they try to make the victim come from a "typical" family, such as in "Secret Cutting," there are always obvious factors (usually external) that provoke the problem. Why can't they ever show a character who doesn't know or can't explain what makes her (or him) do whatever she is doing? It upsets me that these kind of movies always make everything so clear-cut and easy to understand.

However, Dawn's situation in this movie did explain her cutting, and the movie was overall good. While some people commented that her expressions and the "orgasmic" cutting experience were unrealistic, I fully disagree. For some, at least, cutting is a way of releasing inner feelings - it calms you down. You can feel all the stress and pain from life fade away for a little while. I think that, if anything, Dawn's expressions while she is cutting makes it more realistic, and shows the depth of her cutting. Overall, it's not a great movie, but it's not terrible either.

This was an excellent movie for a family to watch together. I was happy that it wasn't a movie that starts off with a troubled teen, then halfway thorough the movie, they get help, and in the end, they're perfectly fine. It shows was actually goes on with self-mutilation. Cutting isn't a very known thing but this movie brings it to light. It also shows how these problems don't just fix themselves in a matter of weeks; it takes time and understanding from everyone involved in the said person's life.

I saw this movie a couple of months back so I am trying to remember the main parts of it. Most people, and almost everybody that has already commented on it seems to hate it. I however, thought that it was a good idea with a strong script.

Not the best TV movie I have ever seen, not even close, but good none the less. What I can remember is that the main character was played by a somewhat believable actress. Believable of how she acted on her psychotic tendencies to destroy her body, and how she handled the humiliation from her classmates. I thought that this character was well designed. The actor/actress who play the parents of the teenager were also good but lacked somewhat of parental control. Their inability to deal with their daughter's problem seems to make me laugh a little.

While this film has a good script to back up a good problem that most people deal with, it does lack some interesting parts. Let's hear it for USA who had the courage to put something like this on their channel. It was good for a popular problem to be exposed on TV but it carried out with parts that almost made me fall asleep at times. Finally, a movie that shows the actuality of what could happen when urges take over life.

As a couple of people have said, I have to agree that the ending was a tremendous let down. It ended with a lot of questions unanswered. A lot of questions that I had. "Secret Cutting" is a good TV movie but it could have been shortened. Considering that this is what really happens to people, I was amazed by it.