In the Cut

Based on the novel by Susanna Moore and produced by Nicole Kidman, In the Cut renders the erotic thriller with a haunting, meditative gaze. After learning about the brutal murder of a young woman in her neighborhood, English professor Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan, in a powerful and uncharacteristic role) begins an affair with one of the investigating police detectives, Giovanni Malloy (Mark Ruffalo). As their relationship becomes increasingly passionate, Frannie questions Malloy’s suspicious role in the investigation, and uses sexual desire as a tool for defense and titillation. Framing noughties New York with a soft amber glow and subjective visual style, In the Cut deftly investigates the familiar terms of on-screen representation, obscuring, among other archetypes, the line between female victim and femme fatale.