FinalCut.com

FinalCut.com or Suicide as it is called in Troma's American release, is another DV movie, that longs to be gritty by being shot handycam style with the cameraman/character combination done in that pseudo documentary style that was popular late nineties to around 2000 , that seems to be in least in that dogme 95 aesthetic where you come to a location as is for a set, use only your camera mic for the sound, very minimal music and sound effects (most music being played on set by a stereo somewhere), no studio light just practicals, what seems to be improvisation by the actors,etc. One of those movies where it seems the only budgets was ten dollar mini-dv tapes, and the actors salaries if they were paid.

The movies about a couple who film suicides for a website(that we never see in the movie or see them work on, just hear about) that they then think will be juicy/or exploitative to make them money or something .The movie seems to be trying to comment on that kind of Reality T.V./ Rotten.com /Faces of death exploitation though it's never very clear why they're doing it, except to maybe get a cheap thrill or make a little money and it's definitely not clear why the people committing suicide are allowing themselves to be videotaped.

Anyway, the movie's basic flow is a long kind of confessional suicide by some person, and then a short interlude with the couple commenting on how the footage of that suicide went, as they drive in the car to the next suicide to film. You never really get to know much about the main characters, and you never see the people who are committing suicide for the video's other than the short time before they do themselves in, so the viewer longs for more depth to the subject matter or more characterization. This approach could be explained away into the very minimal nature of the movie, but it comes off as too minimal, as if it's begging for you to read more into it than it's really delivering. The movie definitely as a staccato kind of rhythm with these scenes in this storytelling style, but it's also that repetition that makes you start to lose interest in each new scenes similarities.

The movie kind of plays on that whole filmmaker documenting killer of abuser of some sort who inadvertedly starts to participate in the killing or exploitation that he's filming, and may start to enjoy it. (You definitely get the feeling that the filmmakers saw "Man bites Dog" or "Series 7", but those two movies pull it off better). The movie also plays with the thought, that maybe the first suicides were faked as to get get participation by suicidal people later. But those two potentially juicy subjects are not developed enough either in spite of or because of it's minimalist/earnest style.

On the upside, some of it's pretty well acted for the most part (some of the suicides don't ring true, but are they supposed to at first?) It definitely has some moments that our bit disturbing (which is why you're probably interested in the movie) it's too short at 85 minutes to completely drag the concept out too far, and the style works for the movie (though you can never tell with these types of movies, whether the moviemakers thought:I got this really interesting disturbing idea for a movie lets make it lo-fi/ or, we could quickly, cheaply, and easily make a lo-fi/dogme type of movie what would make people watch it.)

Anyway, I'm going on tangents. I would give this movie about a five, it moderately keeps your attention for it's duration, but it could be much a jucier subject, and the movie's not nearly as disturbing or provocative as it wants to be.

A young,ambitious director of photography and his girlfriend want to be famous.They decide to document suicides and sell the resulting footage to the highest bidder.However the photographer soon wants to quit this unwholesome activity,because he doesn't believe the suicide films they shoot are realistic and visually exciting.His girlfriend refuses to quit, and persuades him to continue by soliciting business for their fledgling company on the internet."Suicide" is an emotionally disturbing film.The suicide scenes presented here are truly depressing and painful to watch.Of particular note is one guy who slashes his wrists–it looks painfully real.The film is stylish and very well-acted.The concept is very interesting,but as a whole "Suicide" is utterly downbeat and bleak.Give this film a look,if you can stomach it.9 out of 10.

This German film, released here with it's original soundtrack and English subtitles, is totally unique in it's subject matter and in its form. Roughly it is about a young couple who decide to offer their services on a website to film other people's suicide. There is a lot more to it, but there are some very interesting and unexpected plot twists that would be a shame to give away - you just have to see this for yourself. It is entirely shot on Digital Video - but BEWARE all those people who have some strange grudge against this medium, let me tell you: this is the only way this film could have been made. This is one of those films where the choice of that medium is essential, enhances the horrifying nature of the film and, indeed, is no less than a character in the story. Funny thing is that, partly because of the use of video instead of film stock, this film looks as though it was a lot easier to make than in reality is the case. There is no use of the obvious and much-too-often used digital effects that we are bored with in the multiplex theaters, everything looks as though it is plainly shot with a small hand-held camera. But the suicides that are shown are so shockingly realistic and indeed much better looking than rapidly outdated digital effects in any 100 million dollar movie that it is hard to believe that the makers of this "small" film have achieved this level of 100% realism. This is enhanced by the true-to-life acting of absolutely everybody in this film. It is dark and very unsettling, but essential to everyone interested in intelligent horror films, German cinema from the likes of Jorg Buttgereit or Michael Haneke and for everyone who wants just that little bit more from a movie-experience than just laid-back entertainment.

A particularly harrowing variation on what is already an extremely harsh genre—pseudo-snuff—German indie effort Suicide (AKA FinalCut.com) follows two film-makers as they record a series of suicides with the intention of selling the footage to the highest bidder. Having advertised online for willing participants in their project, the couple travel from location to location, capturing the final moments of the mentally ill, the lonely, and the hopeless.

The film opens as the first victim climbs a flight of stairs whilst discussing the pros and cons of various methods of suicide; he has decided that hurling oneself from a tall, derelict building is the most reliable way to end his life. However, when it comes to throwing himself into the void, the man has second thoughts and runs away, but winds up falling to his death anyway after he stumbles through a hole in the floor. The irony of his demise softens the blow somewhat, and a couple of the deaths that follow also raise an uncomfortable smile (one cannot help but giggle nervously at times), but the inevitable, cumulative effect of watching a succession of people top themselves is depression.

Shot with realism in mind, Suicide is extremely downbeat viewing: it's really uncomfortable to witness a pair of teenage girls wash down pills with vodka, a student inject an overdose of heroin at the base of his junk, a sad old geezer suffer a heart attack after not taking his medication, a woman gassing herself in her car, a goth slash his wrists, and a guy inject himself with air (which proves what the first chap says—it's a bloody painful way to go!). In fact, it comes as a bit of a relief when, towards end of the film, there is a slight shift in mood: the film-makers themselves become involved in the taking of lives, adding an element of plot, and a silly twist ending acts as a valve to release some of the pressure.

Well acted, well made and thought provoking, but perhaps a tad too repetitive to be totally engrossing, Suicide is definitely not an easy film to watch, and something I would only recommend to hardened viewers of challenging horror. I guess a 7/10 out of 10 would be a fair rating: it's good, but not something I'll be revisiting any time soon.

Low budget German movie about a couple who drive around filming people commit suicide in order to sell the footage. I found it an interesting idea and the end has a reasonable twist but this film really is hard to watch, not because I found it shocking but rather it due to it being so slow, boring and obviously faked. Watching a young girl lying on her bed for 5 minutes downing pills with alcohol before puking up isn't captivating viewing. Seeing a guy inject his penis with a lethal drug overdose isn't either, and so on. It all just looks so amateur, as are the attempt at English subtitles, (have spelt hav, for example). Jorg Buttgereit made dark, depressing films but he had real talent. The makers of this don't. The only reason that I watched it was because it was released in the UK on the Vipco label, most probably by far the worst film to have been done so - and that's saying something! Unless you hate yourself then give Suicide a miss