MarieGabrielle The title "Secret Cutting" seems sensationalistic, but it is very real, and based on true case studies Dr. Steven Levenkron (psychiatrist/author who also wrote "The Best Little Girl in the World" - dealing with anorexia) This film is a good example of the positive aspects of a GOOD Lifetime movie, it can inform both parents, friends and teachers as to a reality not everyone wishes to face.Sean Young is very good as an over-protective Mom who wishes the best for her daughter, but doesn't know how to give it- she has been traumatized herself by the accidental death of her infant sister. Kimberlee Peterson portrays the sensitive daughter, who is teased and alienated by classmates, had low self-esteem, and a destructive relationship with her boyfriend.Robert Wisden portrays the father, who lives in denial and feels helpless, although he clearly loves his daughter. It would have been nice to see further character development with his part, as the father daughter issue is sometimes bypassed.Rhea Perlman was surprisingly good as the therapist who eventually works with Peterson on her self-destructive tendencies. Many teens "cut" to remind themselves they are alive, or to feel something, ANYTHING, other than the alienation they live with. Anyone unfamiliar with the subject may think this to be an extreme reaction, but it is very common, instead of drinking, or drugs, some individuals turn to "cutting" as a defense mechanism. This is an important issue which everyone should be aware of. In the film, you see the denial and drive for perfection which results in cutting- Peterson cannot be the popular girl her mother wishes she was, so she cuts herself, as punishment.There is one scene in particular which is very sad. Peterson was involved in a school play, and draws wolves for her art class. After she is hospitalized for another cutting incident, her mother returns home, cleaning her room, and sees the beautiful pictures of the wolves her daughter has drawn. She is overcome with sadness, blaming herself, her bad marriage, and ends up separating from the family; running from the problem. There are no easy answers or trite endings with psychological issues.I will not divulge the ending, but everyone should watch this film- especially in America- where the "popular" issue and peer pressure is so overblown. Will society ever learn? In a country where some mothers compete about cheer leading, kids are killed for being bullies or too popular- the violence seems immeasurable.

return2sndr68 when i first saw this movie i was 14 and had been cutting for seven or eight years. dawn reminded me so much of myself. i used to be like omigod totally popular, but i pulled away from my friends and became a loner.when people found out that i was a cutter, the school which used to be my loving home became hell. my home life was hell. my parents responded jhust like dawn's. my brother told me to go kill myself and i did the same thing she did. i tore myself apart. i'm still not better and am only going onto my 28th day of sobriety, but after 12 years of tearing myself open i know that being picked on did nothing but push me further over the edge. i know over 100 girls and boys that hurt themselves and that's just in my small 2000 person town and i don't even know everyone. there are probably more that i don't even know about. don't judge... because we're all around you.

BeckaM well.. now that i've refreshed my memory by reading some comments. i can say some things about this movie. but first.. i'd like to say.. cutting urself isn't really a disease or a syndrome, like some have said. instead i believe it is an addiction and a way of dealing with things. i think some people who have commented on this aren't thinking about how every situation is different. i think this is a typical situation. an unpopular girl is depressed and gets angry and tense and what not and calms herself by cutting herself.. not my situation in the least..i don't remember the acting too well, but probably it wasn't too good.. that is to be expected though i would think.. self-mutilation is not known very well. in fact when i started i did not even know people did that. and there are several ways to mutilate yourself. burning and branding yourself, hitting urself, gauging your ears for the purpose of inflicting pain upon yourself, digging things into your skin, or little things like scratching yourself are other ways to hurt yourself. that is not really shown in this film.on the whole this film is informative, but you really don't know the feeling of it unless you have experienced it. it may be scary to see fake cuts on people, buh seeing your skin open up a cm or more wide.. now thats something to be scared about.. i know that most people don't get why people cut themselves.. they don't understand. in this movie though, at least it gives information, situations, outlooks, behaviors, etc so that people may understand more.. buh really there is so much more to it. more situations.. like death and suicide and the inability to cope with things.. oh well, it was alright i guess. from what i remember..

ctcer53 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.