*My review of In Fabric was originally published on Film Inquiry. Click here to read the original post and check out more great reviews from this awesome site!*
In Fabric remains the strangest movie I saw at Film Fest 919, and considering that it was my second-to-last screening of the festival, strange was a welcome respite from dourness and emotional heft at this point. Director Peter Strickland of Duke of Burgundy and Berberian Sound Studio fame goes for broke in this deeply weird horror-comedy, which follows a cursed dress, the unsuspecting customers that end up with the garment in their possession, and the bizarre department store cult that created this haunted object.
If that sounds like an unusual foundation for any film—let alone a comedy—that’s because it is. In Fabric is unpredictable, stylish, and often difficult to pin down; its flashes of unabashed excess are diluted by the presence of rather straightforward, involving character pieces, creating an uneasy combination. It’s ostensibly about how consumerism locates our weaknesses, allowing us to be seduced by the work of the devil, but its bifurcated narrative and strange mix of tones never allow that ultimate message to cohere.
In Fabric‘s initial half (a structural note that indicates the first sign of trouble) follows Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a clerk looking to get back on the dating scene. Sheila currently lives with her messy son (Jaygann Ayeh) and his strange girlfriend (Gwendoline Christie), so she definitely needs to get out of the house more. On a routine trip to a local department store, Sheila is persuaded by the salesperson, a woman with an eerie, uncomfortable speaking pattern, to buy a stunning, elegant red dress for her date. Unfortunately, she gets much more than she bargained for—strange rashes, washing machine catastrophes, and, eventually, something much bleaker.
Dripping with lavish style and guided by Cavern of Anti-Matter‘s wickedly unusual score, In Fabric gets off to a strong start. It’s never particularly scary, but it’s suitably atmospheric and often quite funny, equipped with a distinct story that leans into its gonzo concept and a likable lead in Jean-Baptiste. The film is clearly interested in the way that the excesses of consumerism prey on us and our insecurities, pressuring us into illogical decisions that we would never otherwise make. With that guiding ethos, In Fabric coasts along as a fresh, funny, and singular horror-comedy.
And then, unfortunately, it keeps going for another hour. Sheila’s story ends, and the dress moves to the introverted Reg (Leo Bill) and his kind and supportive fiancée Babs (Hayley Squires). With this shift in attention, the film essentially repeats its initial narrative—the same jokes, the same odd events, and the same grim, ludicrous conclusion. In theory, perhaps there’s something trenchant in this repetition of this cycle, something that leads the film’s themes to a satisfying end. But in practice, it’s hopelessly dull, all leading to a ridiculous finale that stretches Strickland‘s brand of absurdity to its limits. There’s so much to love in In Fabric that I wish it all worked better, but that second half really sinks the whole bizarre concoction.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.4/10)
In Fabric remains the strangest movie I saw at Film Fest 919, and considering that it was my second-to-last screening of the festival, strange was a welcome respite from dourness and emotional heft at this point. Director Peter Strickland of Duke of Burgundy and Berberian Sound Studio fame goes for broke in this deeply weird horror-comedy, which follows a cursed dress, the unsuspecting customers that end up with the garment in their possession, and the bizarre department store cult that created this haunted object.
If that sounds like an unusual foundation for any film—let alone a comedy—that’s because it is. In Fabric is unpredictable, stylish, and often difficult to pin down; its flashes of unabashed excess are diluted by the presence of rather straightforward, involving character pieces, creating an uneasy combination. It’s ostensibly about how consumerism locates our weaknesses, allowing us to be seduced by the work of the devil, but its bifurcated narrative and strange mix of tones never allow that ultimate message to cohere.
In Fabric‘s initial half (a structural note that indicates the first sign of trouble) follows Sheila (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a clerk looking to get back on the dating scene. Sheila currently lives with her messy son (Jaygann Ayeh) and his strange girlfriend (Gwendoline Christie), so she definitely needs to get out of the house more. On a routine trip to a local department store, Sheila is persuaded by the salesperson, a woman with an eerie, uncomfortable speaking pattern, to buy a stunning, elegant red dress for her date. Unfortunately, she gets much more than she bargained for—strange rashes, washing machine catastrophes, and, eventually, something much bleaker.
Dripping with lavish style and guided by Cavern of Anti-Matter‘s wickedly unusual score, In Fabric gets off to a strong start. It’s never particularly scary, but it’s suitably atmospheric and often quite funny, equipped with a distinct story that leans into its gonzo concept and a likable lead in Jean-Baptiste. The film is clearly interested in the way that the excesses of consumerism prey on us and our insecurities, pressuring us into illogical decisions that we would never otherwise make. With that guiding ethos, In Fabric coasts along as a fresh, funny, and singular horror-comedy.
And then, unfortunately, it keeps going for another hour. Sheila’s story ends, and the dress moves to the introverted Reg (Leo Bill) and his kind and supportive fiancée Babs (Hayley Squires). With this shift in attention, the film essentially repeats its initial narrative—the same jokes, the same odd events, and the same grim, ludicrous conclusion. In theory, perhaps there’s something trenchant in this repetition of this cycle, something that leads the film’s themes to a satisfying end. But in practice, it’s hopelessly dull, all leading to a ridiculous finale that stretches Strickland‘s brand of absurdity to its limits. There’s so much to love in In Fabric that I wish it all worked better, but that second half really sinks the whole bizarre concoction.
THE FINAL GRADE: C (5.4/10)
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