disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

[SXSW 2024] SEW TORN -- Incredibly Fun Crime Thriller Shows Directorial Ingenuity

3/11/2024

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
For a filmmaker as young as Freddy Macdonald to show as much control behind the camera as he does in Sew Torn is frankly astounding. Although the thriller’s script follows some very familiar threads, its presentation is much more fun than it has any right to be.

Adapted from the short of the same name, Sew Torn follows a seamstress who gets entangled in an increasingly complex web after getting caught up in a drug deal gone wrong. The film then plays out the consequences of all three of her choices: committing the perfect crime, calling the police, or driving away and doing nothing.

With movies that follow this type of multi-track storyline, it can be easy for it to feel repetitive and predictable. Although the predictability is an issue here, Freddy and Fred Macdonald’s script gives us plenty enough over-the-top antics for it to stay consistently entertaining and refreshing. It avoids feeling gimmicky, instead being an all-around entertaining crime thriller.
​
From a technical standpoint, Sew Torn is pretty incredible. Multiple sequences in the film are crafted with an astounding level of production design and editing that plays out in an entertaining fashion. Considering that the film’s protagonist is a seamstress, it’s only natural that there is such a high level of attention to detail.

​
Granted, the movie’s script is somewhat shallow. The film delivers some commentary on how our choices have consequences, but this fable’s moral is incredibly obvious from both the story and the expositional narration. Although some intriguing themes in the subtext are mostly related to the characters’ backstories, these are largely left unexplored.

The characters themselves are pretty archetypal. The protagonist struggles to step out of her late mother’s shadow — a motivation that is about as generic as it comes. The father-son drug dealer duo has an equally telegraphed dynamic. A few of the supporting characters are comedically creative, but the premise and set pieces do much of the heavy lifting regarding the movie’s creativity.  

Still, every cast member gives it their all with fully committed performances. Eve Connolly starts very reserved, but as the character begins to show her wits, Connolly’s performance becomes unexpectedly commanding. Calum Worthy also gives a turn that shows a lot of range. However, the biggest highlight of the cast is John Lynch, who is wonderfully hammy as the villain.

Sew Torn is an extremely fun crime thriller that, while a little shallow in its themes and predictable due to its structure, is satisfying in how it is presented. Despite its narrative shortcomings, Freddy Macdonald’s feature debut has plenty of ambition in the directorial department and heralds him as a talent to watch.

Sew Torn is screening at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.

Rating: 4.5/5

               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About