Based on his own short of the same name, indie thriller Sew Torn is the first feature from writer and director Freddy Macdonald. Set in a picturesque village nestled in the Alpine mountains, the plot follows seamstress Barbara (Eve Connolly) who is grieving her mother’s death whilst struggling to keep the family business afloat.
After an incident involving a bride-to-be’s button, she stumbles upon a drug deal gone awry between Joshua (Calum Worthy) and Beck (Thomas Douglas), both lying injured in the middle of the road. Faced with a choice between driving off, calling the police, or committing the perfect crime, the film precedes to play out each of the scenarios but no matter which path she chooses, ruthless gangster Hudson (John Lynch) is never far behind.
Unravelling across three chapters, the neat script presents a smart twist on the Rashomon effect: while the same events occur around Barbara with supporting characters, providing a sense of inevitability, her decision in the opening act alters the central narrative. This allows Macdonald to experiment with genre in an offbeat Coen brothers-esque fashion, with comedy and suspense elements coming into play.
Each section involves an innovative sequence whereby our protagonist leans into her impressive occupational skills, figuring out a solution to her problems through spools of string. Macdonald co-wrote the piece with his father Fred and there’s a thematic throughline around grief and parental relationships, but this feels a little heavy-handed in amongst the much slicker crime storyline.
Until the final act where John Lynch has a more pivotal part to play from his villainous supporting role, the dialogue is relatively minimal and leading actor Eve Connolly does a great job in guiding us through the beats with her expressive performance, enhanced by a stimulating score from composer Jacob Tardien. All in all, it’s a promising directorial debut from Freddy Macdonald that creatively weaves multiple narrative threads – Sew Torn is an inventive and entertaining yarn.
Sew Torn is on UK and Ireland digital platforms 31 March from Vertigo Releasing
Cinema Perspective 