How do editors decide when to keep or cut unplanned moments in a short film?

[EvelynVH]

I’m editing a short film and I keep getting stuck on whether to cut a scene where an actor subtly breaks character for a split second. It’s a genuine moment that feels human, but I worry it undermines the director’s intended tone. How do other editors decide when to keep or remove these unplanned, raw moments?

[CamilaMW]

If the moment sells the character, I keep it. I test by cutting it out and putting it back in, and I watch with and without sound to see if the breath still exists in the edit.

[Jonathan_M]

Is the real problem the rhythm of the cut rather than the slip? Maybe the scene needs a tempo shift, not a removal.

[Nora_L]

I once left a similar moment in because it felt honest, and the audience leaned in a little; then again, in another project they asked me to remove it and the scene felt thinner.

[Addison_R]

I don't trust my memory; I often rely on a fresh pair of eyes and a quick test screening, but even then I'm not sure if it's the raw moment or how the next scene lands.