New Orleans is a city where reality often takes a back seat to fantasy - where a stripper can become a Queen and a poor black man, a regal Indian chief. In this film we become intimate with a diverse handful of New Orleanians - rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight, sheltered and streetwise - for whom Mardi Gras is the ultimate fantasy. Through spontaneous verite scenes, we experience the passionate ordeal these people go through to cut loose during Mardi Gras. Generously spiced with music and humor, Cutting Loose is a veritable gumbo pot of unforgettable characters on an outrageous journey of transformation during this uniquely American ritual. Broadcast on Canal Plus/Arte, Smithsonian World.