In Fabric

Peter Stricklands In Fabric made me scared of a dress. It is a sensual surrealist masterpiece filled with texture, colour and sound. Reminiscent of David Lynch’s visuals and colour, Strickland creates more texture and stunning colour then most modern movies. By the end the film becomes more a collage rather then one linear story, revolving around the through line of the red dress, and thematics. Often, there is no explicit explanation behind a scene, rather creating a feeling and experience. It is a warning of consumerism, and a dark exploration of everyday life. Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s performance as Sheila grounds the first half of the film, which made the second half less intense and visceral to follow. In Fabric creates a sense of unease and dread, confusion in a crowd, the frothed hunger of masses for sales and the advent of the retail world. The employees are mannequins in their own way, vessels for the branding and the rules of capitalism, part of the store. Clothes become fetish, and fabric a curse.