diff --git a/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.c b/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.c
index db1a7092..08541258 100644
--- a/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.c
+++ b/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ void cutsceneSystemDispose() {
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.textMiniLastCreated = CUTSCENE_TEXT_MINI_LAST_CREATED;
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.textCache[0] = '\0';
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.onComplete = NULL;
+  CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile[0] = '\0';
 
   cutsceneLoadedSetDoc(NULL);
 }
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ void cutsceneSystemPrepare(
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.textCache[0] = '\0';
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.currentItem = 0xFF;// Set to 0xFF so Next wraps to 0.
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.onComplete = NULL;
+  CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile[0] = '\0';
 }
 
 void cutsceneSystemStartCutscene(cutscene_t *cutscene) {
@@ -69,6 +71,12 @@ void cutsceneSystemStartCutsceneWith(
   entity_t *interact,
   entity_t *interacted
 ) {
+  assertNotNull(cutscene, "Cutscene cannot be NULL");
+  assertTrue(
+    cutscene->itemCount <= cutscene->itemsMax,
+    "Cutscene itemCount exceeds itemsMax"
+  );
+
   cutsceneSystemPrepare(cutscene, interact, interacted);
   cutsceneSystemNext();
 }
@@ -139,6 +147,7 @@ void cutsceneSystemLoad(const char_t *file) {
 
   cutsceneLoadedSetDoc(doc);
   cutsceneSystemStartCutscene(&CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedScene);
+  stringCopy(CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile, file, ASSET_FILE_NAME_MAX - 1);
 }
 
 void cutsceneLoadedSetDoc(yyjson_doc *doc) {
@@ -153,14 +162,30 @@ void cutsceneRestart(void) {
 
   // A restart is the same logical run trying again (e.g. retrying a failed
   // save-device check), not a fresh unrelated start, so it should not
-  // silently drop a completion callback the caller already armed.
+  // silently drop a completion callback the caller already armed, or the
+  // entities that triggered it - both cutsceneSystemStartCutsceneWith and
+  // cutsceneSystemLoad (via cutsceneSystemPrepare) forget them.
   cutscenecallback_t onComplete = CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.onComplete;
-  cutsceneSystemStartCutsceneWith(
-    CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.scene,
-    CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteract,
-    CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteracted
-  );
+  entity_t *entityInteract = CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteract;
+  entity_t *entityInteracted = CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteracted;
+
+  if(CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile[0] != '\0') {
+    // Came from a cutscene asset - re-read+re-parse it from scratch
+    // rather than just rerunning whatever's still resident in
+    // loadedScene/loadedItems, so a restart always reflects the file's
+    // current contents.
+    char_t file[ASSET_FILE_NAME_MAX];
+    stringCopy(file, CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile, ASSET_FILE_NAME_MAX - 1);
+    cutsceneSystemLoad(file);
+  } else {
+    cutsceneSystemStartCutsceneWith(
+      CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.scene, entityInteract, entityInteracted
+    );
+  }
+
   CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.onComplete = onComplete;
+  CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteract = entityInteract;
+  CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.entityInteracted = entityInteracted;
 }
 
 void cutsceneSystemSetOnComplete(cutscenecallback_t onComplete) {
diff --git a/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.h b/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.h
index 33f5d1a4..edec0f2e 100644
--- a/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.h
+++ b/src/dusk/rpg/cutscene/cutscenesystem.h
@@ -52,6 +52,16 @@ typedef struct {
 
   cutsceneitem_t loadedItems[CUTSCENE_LOADED_ITEMS_MAX];
   cutscene_t loadedScene;
+
+  // Filename last passed to cutsceneSystemLoad, e.g. "main_menu.jsonc" -
+  // set right after it starts loadedScene running. Empty ("") for a
+  // cutscene started directly via cutsceneSystemStartCutscene* instead
+  // (a C-authored one, or loadedScene reused without going through
+  // cutsceneSystemLoad again), and cleared by cutsceneSystemPrepare on
+  // every fresh start so it never lingers from a previous file load. See
+  // cutsceneRestart, which re-loads (rather than just rerunning) whatever
+  // this names.
+  char_t loadedFile[ASSET_FILE_NAME_MAX];
 } cutscenesystem_t;
 
 extern cutscenesystem_t CUTSCENE_SYSTEM;
@@ -153,7 +163,8 @@ void cutsceneSystemInsertCutscene(const cutscene_t *cutscene);
  * CUTSCENE_LOADED_ITEMS_MAX's doc comment for why), so it's always
  * re-read+re-parsed fresh, never assumed still resident from a previous
  * call. Opens the fatal error overlay (see uiFatalErrorOpen) instead of
- * starting anything if the asset fails to load.
+ * starting anything if the asset fails to load. Records file into
+ * CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile once it starts running.
  *
  * @param file Cutscene file name (with .jsonc extension), relative to
  * assets/cutscenes/.
@@ -174,8 +185,14 @@ void cutsceneLoadedSetDoc(yyjson_doc *doc);
 
 /**
  * Restarts the currently running cutscene from its first item,
- * preserving whatever interact/interacted entities triggered it.
- * Asserts if no cutscene is running.
+ * preserving whatever interact/interacted entities triggered it and
+ * whatever completion callback was armed. If CUTSCENE_SYSTEM.loadedFile
+ * is set (i.e. the running cutscene came from cutsceneSystemLoad), this
+ * re-reads and re-parses that file via cutsceneSystemLoad rather than
+ * just rerunning whatever's still resident in loadedScene/loadedItems, so
+ * a restart always reflects the file's current contents - otherwise it's
+ * just cutsceneSystemStartCutsceneWith on the same cutscene_t. Asserts if
+ * no cutscene is running.
  */
 void cutsceneRestart(void);