Boxcutter – Review

A slice of life film, Boxcutter follows aspiring rapper Rome (James) and his rough day trying to get his tunes back after his laptop is stolen in the morning. Taking place entirely in Toronto, the film gives a good look at the city, as well as the challenges of being an artist and knowing when you and your work are truly “ready” for the world.

Rome spends his spare time perfecting his lines, vocals, beats and tweaking track mixes. It is what drives him, and gives his life purpose, despite no income coming from it. Instead, he works ‘regular’ jobs to try and scrape by, living with his roomie Sid (Vani). Sid tries to get Rome to ‘build up his brand’ by paying local small venues for shows. Rome disagrees and does not want to pay for shows ever.

A fire alarm ends their disagreement however, sending their apartment building outside. While it is a false alarm, they get some news from the super that they will have to move out briefly while some lobby maintenance is performed, and they live right above it. They can come back when the work is done. It sounds like some shady shit.

Rome takes off for work, opening boxes and sorting supplies in a warehouse. At work a coworker lets him know that a local Canadian producer who recently blew up, Ritchie Hill, will be at an event that evening. Maybe this is a shot for Rome… Too bad that when Rome rushes home, he is met by two burglars in the apartment ripping him and Sid off. After a blow to the head, he wakes up and the laptop, his backup hard drive and more are gone.

This kicks off a long day’s journey for Rome, and his artist friend/support girl Jenaya (Lewis), as he scrambles to meet with his track producers and get copies of his tunes back. The pair do their best to temper expectations and get Rome back on track. Sometimes though, life just gets in the way.

Overall, this is a drama with a slice of comedic elements spliced in. Mostly though, it is an observational tale of friendship, growth, artistry, reality and life. The story is simple, but gives the actors and dialogue time to shine. It feels like hanging out with friends, for better or worse, as sometimes truths are dropped, and needed to be heard in order to mature and move to the next stage of life.

While this film doesn’t ever go as deep as I’d like, or hit all the right notes, it is mostly a genuine time and explores some of the hardships of crappy low-paying jobs, personal acceptance, and artistic aspirations without any true path to reach the desired plateau. Not everything always works out for people how they hope.