'Sew Torn', a crime farce from gifted newcomer Freddy Macdonald, places parallel universes layer upon layer in a heady mix of oddity, hilarity, suspense and imaginative sewing-based humor. Drawing inspiration from the structural tropes of past cinematic game-changer 'Run Lola Run', Macdonald's concoction of quirky small-town capers, edgy drama and endearing comedy produces a truly unique debut feature that will undoubtedly pique and hold audience interest.
From a successful 2019 short of equivalent designation, 'Sew Torn' was developed into a full-scale movie that illuminates Macdonald's artistic ability and engaging narrative style, despite its evident academic influences. The film, co-written by Macdonald and his father Fred, received positive reviews at its premiere at SXSW, and has aroused international attention following its Swiss-U.S. co-production screening at Locarno's popular Piazza Grande program.
The quirky plot unravels around the character Barbara, portrayed by Eve Connolly - a moral ambiguity who interacts with an English-speaking Swiss Alpine valley and is constantly thrust into a variety of offbeat circumstances. The core of the storyline revolves around Barbara's valiant efforts to honor her mother's dying wish by keeping her mobile seamstress business afloat, which leads her into a spiral of unusual situations involving misplaced buttons, undetected accidents, and drug money.
The narrative splits and diversifies as Barbara is caught up in a multi-layered predicament involving a crime scene, two critically injured bikers, scattered cocaine, and within arm's reach, a briefcase full of cash. This narrative fragmentation results in three distinct story directions that involve encounters with a ruthless gangster and a plain-spoken sheriff, and Barbara's sewing prowess as an unlikely escape mechanism.
Barbara's absurd yet inventive sewing-based schemes culminate in dramatically orchestrated sequences that contribute to the film's unique charm. Despite circumstantial intensity, the film's whimsical nature allows for the characters to exist in a state of surreal abstraction, rendering actual consequences trivial. With vibrant cinematography and an anachronistic production design, 'Sew Torn' fabricates an adult-centered phantasmagoria where reality can be casually disassembled and reassembled. Macdonald's visionary approach and unique storytelling could make him a major future player.
