‘Sew Torn': A Seamstress So Torn Between Right and Wrong
'Sew Torn,' directed by Freddy Macdonald, is an eccentric, whimsical crime thriller that's not a time-loop movie, but may appeal to those who enjoy choose-your-own-adventure novels.
Barbara (Eve Connolly), a beautiful, introverted, and anxious American living in Switzerland, runs a sewing supply shop and a mobile seamstress business that her mother left her after she died.
One day, Barbara, driving scenic Swiss mountain backroads, happens upon what initially looks like the aftermath of a drug deal gone terribly wrong—it's actually a crime in progress. Two motorcyclists have crashed. There's white powder strewn about, there's a bulky metal case we immediately surmise is chock full of cash, and the injured and bleeding men are crawling down the road. One is in hot (if snail-paced and agonized) pursuit of the other, with murderous intent.
Which Scenario?
Much like the 1999 German movie 'Run Lola Run,' three very different timelines are presented: 1) commit the perfect crime, 2) call the police, or 3) just drive away. Which do you fancy?
(L–R) Beck (Thomas Douglas), Barbara (Eve Connolly), and Joshua (Calum Worthy) in "Sew Torn."
Sunrise Films
The film's main conceit and artifice (and fun) is the revelation that Barbara is a seamstress version of big wall rock climber. She's got fancy knots, she knows pulleys, anchoring, hauling, and grappling-iron techniques, but on a Lilliputian scale.
And so, utilizing only the contents of her mobile sewing kit, she outwits, outsmarts, and outguns the bad guys with elaborate Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions. She can rig a makeshift blow gun, blow a threaded needle across a room, and set a booby-trap. Or reel in a pistol without getting fingerprints on it. Only instead of a 9.5mm climbing rope, carabiners, and ice axes, she uses thread and sewing needles. Most of Barbara's little contraptions aren't traced out in enough detail to be persuasive, but enough to be able to suspend disbelief, if only for the sake of comedy.
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The Bad Guys
The drug dealer and drug buyer are Joshua (Calum Worthy) and Beck (Thomas Douglas), respectively. Sometimes they're Barbara's allies, sometimes they're antagonists, but in every timeline she has to deal with Hudson (John Lynch), the drug-dealing head honcho, who demeans and verbally abuses both her, and Joshua, his son.
It's only when the last domino falls that you fully understand these elaborate, inventive, and unique ways of clobbering criminals with simple household objects. But in the same way all the thread-centric gizmos, contraptions, and strategies gloss over establishing realism and stretch credibility to the max, the entire blackly comedic and surprisingly violent yarn, er, thread, is kind of threadbare—lots of loose ends.
Promotional poster for "Sew Torn."
Sunrise Films
Ultimately, not all will find this far-fetched concept agreeable. The film's main error is revealing the outcome of each particular story-thread in the film's opening moments. When it's evident each discrete section won't end well, it dulls the suspense, which is why talking about it here isn't really a spoiler. But 'Sew Torn' is more about the journey than the destination, and viewers who can appreciate the whimsy and idiosyncratic inventiveness will enjoy the ride.
Also, there's a more profound theme at work here, whether intentional or not. In Norse mythology, the Norns—Urd, Veroandi, and Skuld—are the three goddesses who govern destiny. Living at the foot of Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the Norns tirelessly weave the tapestry of human fate, with each string representing a life, and the string's length representing brevity or longevity.
Barbara (Eve Connolly) experiencing a bad outcome resulting from her deeds, in "Sew Torn."
Sunrise Films
Each of Barbara's life threads ends badly. Why? Could it be that because, regardless of the scenario, the overwhelming desire to abscond with that briefcase full of money, and the cold, calculated, lack of remorse behind her ruthless string-pulling—is the constant? Could it be that the karma emanating from those thoughts unswervingly leads her back to the same outcome, until such time when she divests herself of them via harsh life lessons? If that's intentionally what's going on here, that's pretty brilliant.
'Sew Torn' is on digital platforms from 31 March.
Promotional poster for "Sew Torn."
Sunrise Films
'Sew Torn'
Director: Freddy Macdonald
Starring: Eve Connolly, Calum Worthy, Thomas Douglas, John Lynch
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Release Date: April 25, 2025
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
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