Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 1, 2017

“Doors Cut Down” is a 2000 short film from writer/director Antonio Hens, who devotes one of his earliest efforts to a tale of lust and adolescent awakening. It’s a sharp picture, spunky and sly, delivering a blunt depiction of the Spanish pick-up scene from 1999, where love wasn’t found online, but sometimes in the public toilets at the local mall, providing a backdrop to one young man’s quest to find himself through sexual confidence.

Israel Rodriguez stars as Guillermo, a wise teenager who doesn’t have much interest in his classmates, preferring to find brief flings with older men at the mall. He’s on the prowl for maturity, and we follow his mission through narration, which permits access to his headspace as he picks partners, some reluctant, some commanding, while one target, a tutor he’s left alone with in his family’s apartment, takes some work to seduce.

Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.35:1 aspect ratio) presentation brings a restored "Doors Cut Down" to Blu-ray, and the results are satisfactory. It's a filmic presentation, showcasing clarity throughout, delivering on detail with locations and skin particulars, reminding the viewer of Guillermo's adolescent status. Colors are tastefully refreshed, bringing out bright primaries on costuming, and mall decoration also provides varies hues. Delineation is comfortable. Source has some wear and tear during the main titles, but otherwise remains in decent shape.

Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While simplistic in design, the 2.0 LPCM sound mix provides a proper feel for varied environments, from the stillness of Guillermo's apartment home life to the more echoed areas of the mall. Dialogue exchanges are crisp and clean. Scoring efforts retains tight instrumentation.

Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (12:25, HD) with director Antonio Hens discusses the origin of the short film idea, and the production's technical achievements, shooting 35mm in the era before digital cinema. Hens talks about casting, giving star Israel Rodriguez an education on the lifestyle and desires depicted in the movie, highlighting thespian commitment as the actor is not a gay man. Hens also shares the pressure of following up "Doors Cut Down," which received substantial accolades, making it hard to top. And there's some reflection on the project 17 years later.

• Interview (2:11, HD) is a brief chat with star Israel Rodriguez, who shares tales about his casting and his initial response to the script, with his father urging him to take the role. As with Hens, Rodriguez also shares his thoughts on the effort all these years later.

Doors Cut Down Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Doors Cut Down" is a breezy sit and fairly honest about the experience of a sexual awakening, tapping into primal teen urges and curiosity while Hens tends to the terrific technical accomplishments of the film, using widescreen framing smartly. Its directness is appealing and a bit unsettling, and it gives the short welcome identity.