Author: Robert Skuch Published
I wish real life was more like 2024 suture tear This way I can weigh the pros and cons of my actions before actually making a big life decision. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a crime thriller that used a branching narrative format that allowed the protagonist to consider the consequences before finally pulling metaphorical and literal triggers to take the path she wanted to take. If you grew up with those choose-your-own-adventure books, resting your thumbs anxiously on the forked pages in case of disaster and wanting to return unscathed, suture tear Just right up your alley. In this case, the unfortunate reality is that whatever happens is not your fault. You just go with the flow.
Watching is half the fun suture tear We are witnessing how each situation can backfire badly before realizing that perhaps there are more deterministic factors at play. Or, more interestingly, maybe our hero spent too much time and energy making decisions at the wrong fork in the road, setting off a chain of events that was never meant for her in the first place.
Branching narrative perfectly executed
suture tear Its quaint small-town charm flourishes, which makes the increasingly absurd events feel grounded as they unfold in such a closed world. Barbara (Eve Connolly) is a struggling itinerant seamstress who is still trying her best to maintain her late mother’s business even though she has completely lost her passion for her craft. The company specializes in talking quilts, which are made with sound chips sewn directly into the upholstery and function much like those novelty greeting cards that play a recorded message when you open them.
Barbara is a very talented seamstress who is clearly very good at what she does but no longer cares about it, which is a beautiful feeling. It’s as if she’s mastered her craft out of resentment, living in an apartment above her company, decorated with criss-crossing yarn patterns and memorabilia, operated by a delicate pulley system that she maneuvers effortlessly.
On her way back from an appointment to repair the wedding dress of her only client, Grace (Caroline Goodall), Barbara encounters two cyclists who are apparently involved in a violent argument that results in a near-fatal car crash. She noticed a briefcase in the middle of the wreckage and immediately ran three possible scenarios through her mind: the perfect crime, calling the police, or driving away.
back seam torn After the initial setup, we get the exact same three acts as this. We learn that committing the perfect crime is more complicated than Barbara expected, calling the police can lead to potential disaster, and driving away can bring unexpected complications. What we don’t know is how these scenes will ultimately end, before we’re at the same crossroads again and Barbara is forced to make a final decision.
Although these three situations lead to very different outcomes, we encounter the same core players each time. Motorcyclists Joshua (Callum Worthy) and Baker (Thomas Douglas), the ruthless crime boss Hudson (John Lynch) they work for, and the local police chief Ms. Engel (K. Cullen). Through these interactions, we learn about each person’s motivations as an audience member, but Barbara’s limited perspective prevents any information revealed to the audience from influencing her decision-making in real time.
Barbara’s talent is insane
Weird choose-your-own-adventure framework aside, the real appeal suture tear Barbara’s talent with sewing tools is incredible. She’s like Mozart, but with strings. Her fingers, expressionless, create traps and means of escape using only a spool of thread, a sewing needle, and the savant-like skills she gained from reluctantly mastering a craft to fulfill her mother’s wishes.
Barbara displays true ingenuity as she uses her knowledge of the only world she knows to survive in unfamiliar and dangerous territory. I never questioned the physics of what she accomplished suture tear Because Eve Connolly sells every moment with her deadpan, slightly confused delivery.
As three separate stories unfold suture tearyou begin to wonder if there is a single scene where Barbara comes out the other side intact. Half the fun is watching her try to determine whether this outcome is possible. The only way to find out Barbara’s fate suture tear Just fire up Netflix, click play, and let the story spin its way.
