Sew Torn
{{Short description|2024 film}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Sew Torn poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| alt = A pistol, wrapped with colorful threads, hangs above the ground
| director = Freddy Macdonald
| writer = {{Plainlist|
- Freddy Macdonald
- Fred Macdonald
}}
| producer = {{Plainlist|
- Fred Macdonald
- Barry Navidi
- Sebastian Klinger
- Diamantis Zavitsanos
- Socratis Zavitsanos
- Timothy Ross
- Alexander Stratigenas
}}
| starring = {{Plainlist|
- Eve Connolly
- Calum Worthy
- John Lynch
- K. Callan
- Ron Cook
- Thomas Douglas
- Caroline Goodall
- Werner Biermeier
- Veronika Herren-Wenger
- Petra Wright
}}
| cinematography = Sebastian Klinger
| editing = Freddy Macdonald
| music = Jacob Tardien
| studio = {{Plainlist|
- Sew Torn, LLC
- ORISONO
- Barry Navidi Productions
}}
| released = {{Film date|2024|03|11|SXSW|2025|5|9|United States}}
| runtime = 95 minutes
| country = {{Plainlist|
- United States
- Switzerland
}}
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
Sew Torn is a 2024 crime thriller film written, directed and edited by Freddy Macdonald. In the US-Swiss co-production, which is based on a short film of the same name, Eve Connolly plays a seamstress on the verge of bankruptcy. The film tells the story of how she comes upon a drug deal gone bad and how her choices at the scene of the crime lead to drastically different outcomes along the way. Sew Torn premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2024.
Plot
Barbara Duggen (Eve Connolly) is a seamstress struggling to keep her fabric shop alive. After a botched sewing appointment sets her on a quest to replace her client's lost button, she unexpectedly stumbles upon a drug deal gone bad. Faced with two downed motorcyclists, guns, and a briefcase - Duggen is completely torn. She is forced to pick between three choices: commit the perfect crime, call the police, or drive away.
The narrative presents the repercussions of all three decisions, and the deadly confrontations that result from each as she gets entangled with the case's owner. Using thread to free herself, Duggen stops at nothing to save her store.Damon Wise: [https://deadline.com/2024/03/sew-torn-review-freddy-macdonald-strange-striking-neo-noir-is-a-great-discovery-sxsw-1235857334/ 'Sew Torn' Review: Freddy Macdonald’s Strange, Striking Neo-Noir Is A Great Discovery.] In: deadline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2024.Kristy Puchko: [https://mashable.com/article/sew-torn-review 'Sew Torn' review: 'Pushing Daisies' meets 'Run Lola Run'] In: mashable.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
Cast
- Eve Connolly as Barbara
- Calum Worthy as Joshua
- John Lynch as Hudson
- K. Callan as Ms. Engel
- Ron Cook as Oskar
- Thomas Douglas as Beck
- Caroline Goodall as Grace
- Werner Biermeier as Melvin
- Veronika Herren-Wenger as Rosie
- Petra Wright as Mom / Young Barbara
Production
=Development=
The film was directed and edited by Freddy Macdonald, who also co-wrote the screenplay with his father Fred Macdonald.Tracy Palmer: [https://signalhorizon.com/sxsw-2024-sew-torn-interview-director-freddy-macdonald-explains-his-incredible-vision-his-amazing-stars-and-that-mettler-thread/ SXSW 2024 Sew Torn Interview – Director Freddy Macdonald Explains His Incredible Vision, His Amazing Stars, And That Mettler Thread.] In: signalhorizon.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024. Sew Torn is the first full-length feature film by the director and is based on his 2019 six-minute short film of the same name. The film was part of his successful admission to the American Film Institute and made Macdonald the youngest Directing Fellow ever accepted into the Conservatory.[https://watch.afi.com/talent/freddy-macdonald Freddy Macdonald. Directing 2021.] In: afi.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.[https://swissfilms.ch/de/person/macdonald-freddy/DDAEAE19654743CD89ED5938BA71E6F9 Freddy Macdonald.] In: swissfilms.ch. Retrieved April 4, 2024. With his AFI thesis film, Shedding Angels, Macdonald went on to win a Student Academy Award in the year 2022.
Sew Torn (the short film) was executive produced by Peter Spears, acquired by Searchlight Pictures and qualified for an Academy Award after a nationwide theatrical release in the USA.https://sebklinger.com/work/sew-torn/[https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/directors/2198897 Freddy Macdonald.] In: sxsw.com. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
Being a big fan of the Coen Brothers' work, Macdonald showed the short film to Joel Coen, whose advice was to turn it into an independent feature.Brian Davids: [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/meet-sew-torn-freddy-macdonald-1235873664/ Meet Freddy Macdonald, the 23-Year-Old ‘Sew Torn’ Filmmaker Who Dazzled SXSW] In: The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 13, 2024. Macdonald's father Fred, who produced all of Freddy's short films, then looked into ways to raise the funds independently.[https://www.imdb.com/filmosearch/?sort=year&explore=title_type&role=nm2472871&ref_=nmnw_ql_flmg_1 Fred Macdonald Filmography] In: IMDb.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024. Barry Navidi, producer of Al Pacino's Wilde Salomé and Johnny Depp's Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness has collaborated with Macdonald on previous projects and came on as producer with his company Barry Navidi Productions. Subsequently, filmmakers Diamantis Zavitsanos and Socratis Zavitsanos helped raise a significant amount of funds as producers. The twin brothers had once competed against Macdonald at Heartland International Film Festival in the year 2017, went on to win the festival with their short film, Two of Five Million, and have since become collaborators.[https://theindependentcritic.com/2017_heartland_film_fest_high_school_competition_winners_ 2017 Heartland Film Fest High School Competition Winners] In: The Independent Critic. Retrieved April 22, 2024
=Casting=
Eve Connolly, known from her roles in the film, The Other Lamb, and the television series Into the Badlands, plays the leading role of seamstress Barbara Duggen. The ensemble cast around Connolly includes actors known from acclaimed films and series like Schindler's List, Knives Out, The Act, Hot Fuzz or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23157384/fullcredits Sew Torn Full Credits] In: IMDb.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024
Sharon Howard-Field and Nathan Wiley were responsible for casting.
=Filming and post-production=
Filming took place in the fall of 2022 in the Tamina Valley and Bad Ragaz in the Swiss region of Sarganserland-Werdenberg.Lorena Tino: [https://www.suedostschweiz.ch/leben-freizeit/kulisse-fuer-einen-horrorfilm-filmdreh-im-taminatal Filmdreh im Taminatal.] In: suedostschweiz.ch. Retrieved November 23, 2022.Heidi Troisio: [https://www.sarganserland-werdenberg.ch/en/news/sew-torn-hollywood-streifen-wird-im-taminatal-gedreht The Sarganserland-Werdenberg region is the setting for the Hollywood film "Sew Torn"] In: sarganserland-werdenberg.ch. Retrieved October 1, 2022.[https://www.zentralplus.ch/kultur/von-luzern-nach-texas-ein-schweizer-film-feiert-erfolg-2629969/ Von Luzern nach Texas: Ein Schweizer Film feiert Erfolg.] In: zentralplus.ch. Retrieved March 23, 2024. The filming for Macdonald's short film also took place there.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWl9N6Qn7fw Collider - Sew Torn Interview: This 23-Year-Old Is One of the Most Exciting New Directors][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAIqXUhWgxs Sneak Peek - Sew Torn Interview - SXSW 2024] Swiss cinematographer Sebastian Klinger was already familiar with the region from previous projects. He collaborated with Macdonald on multiple films already and is also one of the film's producers.
The Swiss production company, ORISONO, came onto the project as co-producer, providing local know-how and production services. Having co-produced the Spanish feature Color of Heaven by Joan-Marc Zapata, which premiered at San Sebastián International Film Festival, and having acted as local production partner for Peruvian Netflix series Contigo Capitán, ORISONO was familiar with the circumstances of film production in Switzerland.Christian Bucher: [https://www.zentralplus.ch/regionales-leben/zentralschweizer-filmcrew-verwandelt-luzern-in-ein-hollywood-set-2108371/ Zentralschweizer Filmcrew verwandelt Luzern in ein Hollywood-Set] In: zentralplus.ch. Retrieved April 22, 2024[https://www.20min.ch/video/zentralschweizer-produzieren-fuer-netflix-801492310976 Zentralschweizer produzieren für Netflix] In: 20min.ch. Retrieved December 11, 2021. Also involved in the post-production of Sew Torn, ORISONO's co-founders Alexander Stratigenas and Timothy Ross provided one of the finest Dolby Atmos audio mixing studios of Switzerland for the film along with their business partner Soundville Media Studios.[https://professional.dolby.com/music/dolby-atmos-music-studios List of Dolby Atmos Music Studios] In: Dolby.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024
Release
Sew Torn had its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival (SXSW) on March 11, 2024, in Austin, Texas.[https://schedule.sxsw.com/2024/events/FS17302 Sew Torn.] It was released in the United States on May 9, 2025.{{cite web|first=Alex|last=Billington|url=https://www.firstshowing.net/2025/mobile-seamstress-crime-thriller-sew-torn-trailer-with-eve-connolly/|title=Mobile Seamstress Crime Thriller 'Sew Torn' Trailer with Eve Connolly|website=First Showing|access-date=February 13, 2025}}
Reception
{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|95|6.8|20}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sew_torn|title=Sew Torn|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=2025-03-28}} The film has been positively reviewed by various trade papers such as The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Mashable and Collider among others.Brian Davids: [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/meet-sew-torn-freddy-macdonald-1235873664/ Meet Freddy Macdonald, the 23-Year-Old ‘Sew Torn’ Filmmaker Who Dazzled SXSW] In: The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 15, 2024.Damon Wise: [https://deadline.com/2024/03/sew-torn-review-freddy-macdonald-strange-striking-neo-noir-is-a-great-discovery-sxsw-1235857334/ ‘Sew Torn’ Review: Freddy Macdonald’s Strange, Striking Neo-Noir Is A Great Discovery – SXSW] In: Deadline. Retrieved March 18, 2024.Kristy Puchko: [https://mashable.com/article/sew-torn-review 'Sew Torn' review: 'Pushing Daisies' meets 'Run Lola Run'] In: Mashable. Retrieved March 14, 2024.Chase Hutchinson: [https://collider.com/sew-torn-review/ 'Sew Torn' Review: This Tangled, Twisty Thriller Is a Dark Delight | SXSW 2024] In: Collider. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
=Accolades=
South by Southwest Film Festival 2024
- Nomination for the Kickstarter NextGen Award (Freddy Macdonald)
- Nomination for the Letterboxd Piazza Grande Award (Freddy Macdonald)
Sitges Film Festival 2024
- Nomination for the New Visions Award (Freddy Macdonald)
Camerimage 2024
- Nomination for Best Cinematography in Contemporary World Cinema (Sebastian Klinger)
References
{{Reflist}}