IN FABRIC - MIFF 2019

While there are a number of my most anticipated films of 2019 playing at MIFF this year, by the time the festival actually came around, it was Peter Strickland's “In Fabric” that I was most looking forward to. Bolstered by the fact that Strickland was a guest at MIFF this year, “In Fabric” still stood out from the pack by being that “killer dress” film. Thanks to its typically bizarre trailer, my anticipation was high for the film, as it appeared to be bordering either side of high camp or genius, and I couldn't wait to find out which.

When a recently divorced mother, Sheila, finds out that her ex has moved on and is now happy with someone else, it forces her into action of her own to get back out there on the dating scene. This being the 70's though, Sheila chooses to go through the personals of the daily newspapers to find that special someone for her, and when she finally secures herself a date, she decides a new dress is in order to impress the lucky fellow. Lucky for her, the winter sales are in full effect, and when she arrives at a department store, she is greeted by a beautiful and mysterious saleswoman who convinces her to take a chance on a bright red dress. However soon after wearing the dress, it leaves a nasty rash on the chest of Sheila who, after some further odd happenings with the dress, begins to think that there might be something wrong with it. Upon some investigation, Sheila learns that the last person who wore the dress before her, died a horrible death, leaving her convinced that the dress may in fact be cursed.

From such a bonkers set-up, you would hope that Strickland would be brave enough to embrace this madness and follow through with it to the end, and I am happy to report that he does just that. This is such a wild and crazy film experience. Filled to the brim with excess and including such scenes, the like I guarantee that you have never seen before. In saying all of this, as mad and fun as it all is, “In Fabric” isn't perfect; in fact it is quite an uneven film that at times almost plods along before regaining its momentum.

Anyone who has seen his previous films, “Berberian Sound Studio” and “The Duke of Burgundy”, would know that Peter Strickland's greatest strength is his ability to create the most eye-catching images. Frame after frame, we are gifted unusual photographic compositions complete with his bold use of colours. His use of space, locations and props, as well as the way he positions his characters within these spaces is just beautiful and totally unlike the norm that we see in today's cinema. He also has an ability to give his images a textural strength; you can feel the woods, fabrics and metals, etc in his films. His visual style is second to none, and once again this is true with “In Fabric”, but it is also true that this style is often much stronger than his storytelling abilities. As beautiful as Strickland's films are, at times he struggles with pacing and getting across his narrative in an understandable fashion. Put simply, at times they can be confusing, and “In Fabric” is also guilty of this. Personally though, if a film has a strong visual sense, it can usually win me over and make me look past any flaws it may have (particularly if the film also embraces the weird).

During Peter Strickland's brief introduction before the film, he stated that the scenes set at the department stores during their winter sales are told from a child's perspective. He was not referring to a child character within the film but rather these images came from the filtered memories of his own childhood. This information helps dramatically in decoding these scenes, as it is these that are the most mind boggling and bizarre within the film. From the cult-like salespeople who entrance consumers into entering their stores, to the overly poetic dialogue these salespeople sprout to procure a sale (“...the hesitation in your voice, soon to be an echo in the recesses of the spheres of retail”), to the creepy looking mannequins who may or may not come to life when the shop closes; you can imagine all of these fantasies coming from a young child being dragged along shopping with their mothers. Now whether all this helps make any sense in terms of the film itself, that is up to each individual viewer, but it helps knowing the genesis of these images.

One of the negative things I have read in relation to “In Fabric” is that the story of the dress starts to become repetitive. Not to spoil anything for anyone, but during the film we actually get to watch the dress as it goes through two owners. While I can understand why some people find the second story unnecessary or repetitive, for me, it actually added to the strength of the film and made me love it that much more, as it showed the dress actually had a regular and proven method to breaking down its victims. As the dress does the same things to each victim, it almost felt like the building of its own urban legend, if that makes any sense (it does in my mind).

Now it should be noted that due to the total insanity of both the story and images on display here, this is not a film for everyone (and I have heard both opinions in regards to the quality of “In Fabric” whilst waiting in queues at MIFF). Take note: this is a VERY bizarre film, and as I mentioned earlier, it contains scenes the like you have never witnessed before in a film. Just when you think you are totally desensitised to the point you cannot be shocked by anything in cinema ever again, along comes Peter Strickland to prove you wrong. The scene in question begins rather innocuously with a mannequin being undressed and cleaned by a couple of saleswomen, but the kink of the scene ratchets up quickly as soon this cleaning evolves into the mannequin being pleasured by these same women, all the while an older man watches and masturbates. Sure, I know what you are thinking “..that old scenario again?!? Its been done to death!” and I get you but I failed to mention that the mannequin had pubic hair and appeared to be menstruating as well. Yes my friends, “In Fabric” is that bizarre!!

That is when “In Fabric” is at its strongest though; when it embraces its WTF-ness and just goes for it, asking the audience to join them on the ride. If you do succumb to the film's weirdness, I am sure you will get a lot out of it. Things may not make sense all the time, but man is it fun. I loved all the odd and creepy mannequin images, including the scene where our main saleswoman (played wonderfully by Strickland regular Fatma Mohamed) removes her wig to reveal her bald head, making us question if she too is perhaps a living mannequin. However the film isn't just about the weirdness, as throughout its story, themes of sexual fantasy or perhaps more accurately, the repression of said fantasies, are layered very nicely into the narrative. This is a theme that appears to be a favourite of Strickland's and is one he has tackled before (particularly in “The Duke of Burgundy”), and he uses it nicely again here to round out his characters and give them extra depth, whilst never judging them.

Overall, while I found “In Fabric” to be uneven at times, I was totally won over by the sheer boldness of its weirdness. The beautiful 70's aesthetics that director Peter Strickland has created for this feature are stunning and are the highlight of this odd, sensual and very bizarre film (that I cannot wait to watch again).

3.5 Stars.