Sew Torn Exclusive Scene: A Seamstress Executes the Ideal Heist Using Thread

      Sew Torn, the debut feature from the impressively confident 24-year-old director Freddy MacDonald, centers on a seamstress named Barbara (Eve Connolly) who becomes caught up in a failed drug deal.

      When you hear about a seamstress in a thriller, you might think she has a knack for stitching up injuries. However, Sew Torn is much more inventive than that, as shown in the exclusive scene above. Just take a look at it, and we assure you it will not disappoint.

      The scene closely resembles the 2019 short film titled “Sew Torn” that preceded the feature. (MovieMaker’s format stipulates that feature titles are italicized, while short film titles are put in quotes.) MacDonald created the short film as a teenager, which helped him become the youngest Directing Fellow ever admitted to the AFI Conservatory. It was picked up by Searchlight Pictures and received a theatrical release nationwide, qualifying for an Oscar alongside Ready Or Not.

      His AFI thesis film, “Shedding Angels,” won a Student Academy Award and was shortlisted for a student BAFTA. Additionally, MacDonald has directed four music videos for three-time Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito and three viral documentaries featuring hardware hacker Joe Grand. He is represented by UTA.

      Freddy MacDonald on Creating Sew Torn as Both a Feature and a Short

      Freddy MacDonald wrote and co-produced the film with his father, Fred MacDonald, a writer and producer who has established several entertainment and media companies, working with major organizations like The Walt Disney Company, DreamWorks Animation, Lionsgate/Summit Entertainment, and Viacom. The project was partly inspired by Joel and Ethan Coen's Academy Award-winning film No Country for Old Men, which ultimately drew the interest of Joel Coen.

      The legendary director met with Freddy MacDonald over coffee to offer some DIY filmmaking advice.

      “From the very start, we followed Joel Coen’s suggestion and went the friends and family route,” Freddy MacDonald explains in the film’s promotional materials. “This allowed us to retain complete creative control, but it came with its own challenges. As this was our first film, we had no previous experience... investors could only view the ‘Sew Torn’ short film and hope we could execute something larger.”

      The MacDonalds teamed up with Houston producers Socratis and Diamantis Zavitsanos, who secured investors such as Daryl Morey, president of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, along with former NFL player Ronnie Lott. The feature had a strong premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2024.

      While the “Sew Torn” short showcased the perfect crime depicted in the clip above, the feature expands Barbara's narrative by exploring three potential outcomes from her choice to intervene in the failed drug deal while en route to retrieve a button for a demanding bride.

      In the second scenario, rather than executing the perfect crime using thread, she contacts the police. In the third option, she drives away and claims she never witnessed the crime.

      “We get to examine the consequences of her decisions through this three-story format, ultimately leading to an even more significant cinematic resolution,” Freddy MacDonald stated.

      Fred MacDonald noted that arriving at the expanded concept for the feature involved some experimentation.

      “After starting off with a more conventional narrative that felt somewhat forced, the new Sew Torn script came together fairly quickly. I recall a walk with Freddy where we discussed how the short film only depicted Barbara making one decision – to carry out the ‘Perfect Crime’ – but that there were two other choices that we could explore which would be just as compelling,” he explained in the promotional materials.

      “‘Call Police’ and ‘Drive Away’ immediately broadened our story possibilities, and we became very excited about showcasing all three choices consecutively.”

      Sew Torn is set to hit theaters on Friday, from Sunrise Films.

      Main image: Eve Connolly in Sew Torn. Sunrise Films.