Short Cuts is a 1993 American
comedy-drama film, directed by
Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine
short stories and a poem by
Raymond Carver. Substituting a
Los Angeles setting for the
Pacific Northwest backdrop of Carver's stories, the film traces the actions of 22 principal characters, both in parallel and at occasional loose points of connection. The role of chance and luck is central to the film, and many of the stories concern death and infidelity.