Movie Review: In Fabric (English)

Peter Strickland's In Fabric is what's a yarn about a killer red dress. A stunning commentary on urban isolation and the consumerist fetishes of our culture, the movie strikes a heady blend of strange terrors and a bizarre sensuality that's riveting as it's unnerving, even as Strickland strings together an impressively uncategorisable affair, bound by the continuity of an eerie, possessed "artery red" robe purchased at Dentley & Sopar's (D&S) department store during a winter sale. The promo for the sale, which takes the form of an 80s-styled TV ad, hypnotises its viewers into a zombie-like state of buying frenzy, while the jinxed garment — once worn — is like a parasite, tethering itself to its victims and thirsting for their blood. The real horror, however, is the exploitative means of production, secretively run in the basement beyond the sight of the shoppers above.

With more than a hint of Dario Argento's Suspiria, the movie's campy, satirical vibe is accentuated by its unconventional tone, oneiric mood and narrative structure, revelling in a psychedelic phantasmagoria that's deeply unsettling. Granted, there's not much said here about consumerism that hasn't been said a thousand times before — the D&S changing rooms are called "the transformation sphere," luring buyers into the idea that wearing a new outfit will make them the person they want to be — and the film is chopped into two sections that don't quite harmoniously connect. But there's a perverse thrill in the way Strickland creates this off-kiter reality that it doesn't matter. By turns enigmatic, stylish and sexy, In Fabric defies mainstream sensibilities and yet weaves incomprehensible madness and striking beauty into a tapestry of terror about an indestructible, vengeful, floaty piece of fabric that makes life hell for anyone daring enough to put it on. It's utterly lunatic, but a bloody brilliant watch.