- Release year: 2024
- Director: Freddy Macdonald.
- Producers: Sebastian Klinger, Fred Macdonald, Barry Navidi, Diamantis Zavitsanos, and Socratis Zavitsanos.
- Screenplay by: Fred Macdonald and Freddy Macdonald.
- Cinematography by: Sebastian Klinger.
- Music by: Jacob Tardien.
Synopsis: a young woman tries to choose which decision to make in the face of a tricky situation where all roads seem to lead to tragedy.
Shotgun Commentary: absolutely wonderful thriller. Ingenious, fun, and very creative.
Review
Sew Torn is the story of Barbara (Eve Connolly), a seamstress whose mother has left a business of talking embroidery after passing, making her promise not to give it up. As a result, Barbara is on a sinking ship, where her very scarce clients clearly abuse her good manners.
Choices, choices…
The narrative taps into the trend of parallel dimensions. Only in this case, it is from a “this could happen if you take this path” approach, so more of a thought process than an actual reality… Or is it? After purposely losing a button in a vent, Barbara is heading to the shop for a replacement when she meets an eerie sight: two bloodied men crawling very slowly towards their guns and a briefcase standing a little further down the road. This poses a conundrum for Barbara: stage the perfect murder, call the police, or drive away.
All three choices force her to make use of her outstanding abilities as a seamstress, creating complex pulley systems to survive and achieve her different goals. Those systems alone are worth the watch, but everything else about the film is just as riveting. Each path takes her into a twisted road where every turn is full of dangers and unpredictable variables that trump her attempts at a successful ending. From ridiculous mistakes she makes, to nosy neighbours or an incompetent police force, the whole town seems to be conspiring against her happiness.
Beauty and focus
In addition to a great tale, the storytelling itself is stunning. The editing is absolutely wonderful, respecting every high-intensity moment as much as every paused breath that the movie needs. Barbara’s plans are an unknown on their own until they begin to unravel, and both the cinematography and the editing make sure that the pace is spot-on.
Speaking of which, each shot enhances the mood of every situation she’s in. You can feel her stress, relief, tension, and even concentration thanks to how the shots tell her story. A great deal of expression that is paired beautifully with a gorgeous colour palette that enhances the details you need to watch out for with bold colours against a duller, colder palette.
Unique characters
Naturally, Connolly as Barbara plays a huge role in this viewing experience. She delivers a fantastic performance, highlighting the seamstress duality between her confidence in her abilities and her insecurity when it comes to social situations. Barbara is not a straightforward character, which makes her positively magnetic. She is mysterious, flawed and really easy to root for. Additionally, her dancing scene is to die for, so expressive and moving, very similar to Mads Mikkelsen’s in Another Round (2020).
As for the supporting characters, they are all delivered flawlessly. Plus, their personalities present the typical people you most likely know if you’ve ever lived in a village for long enough. They lack any sort of respect for privacy or time, regardless of the nature of their intentions, and they share their thoughts unfiltered, without any care of how your feelings might be affected.
All in all, Sew Torn is a must-watch. Whether you are keen on beautiful imagery, expressive editing, or creative stories, this film is superb in all. It is hard to find any relevant flaws in this feature at all, which can be annoying for a picky viewer, but will certainly be a great time for any movie lover out there.
Advice to take from this movie:
- Sometimes staying out of a problem is just as problematic as getting involved.
- Learn how to sew your own buttons. It is a basic life skill.
- Bullying people will not get you a better service, just more enemies.
What’s your take? Have you watched Sew Torn? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀