A Stitch In Time gem of a movie worth seeking out
A Stitch In Time
(M, 98 mins)
Directed by Sasha Hadden Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ★★★★ 1⁄2
In present day Balmain, in Sydney’s inner-west, Liebe and her partner Duncan are coming to an end. Liebe is a former Jewish refugee, much in love with the people and places of her adopted home. Duncan is ageing badly, giving in to petty resentments, old jealousies and his own failure in life by taking it all out on Liebe. Who, we sense, is ready to pack her bags. We wish her well.
Liebe is a retired dressmaker – and a very good one too – so, looking for a project to fill her retired days and get her out from under Duncan’s tyranny, Liebe decides to make and sell dresses at the weekend markets. The fact that Liebe’s tulle and sequin creations mostly look like something from the window of Bloomingdales, circa 1955, only adds to the charm.
Old friends of the couple offer Liebe a place to stay – and A Stitch In Time seems to be becoming a how-leaving-the-bastardwas-the-beginning-of-my-life yarn. And good luck to it. When the leads are as solid as Maggie Blinco and Glenn Shorrock (she was in Crocodile Dundee and pretty much every Australian TV series from the past three decades. He is a founding member of Aussie legends The Little River Band) we know that nothing is going to go too badly wrong here.
But that would be to undersell the film. As soon as Belinda Giblin and John Gregg – also both veterans, with Gregg doing his last work here – turn up as Liebe and Duncan’s wealthier friends, A Stitch In Time begins to catch fire. There is some filthy animosity between the two men and the friendship between the two women is apparently no day at the beach either. Adding to the mix are the cast of Chinese/ Australian fashion students and young designers, who are torn between wanting to help Liebe and their awe at what she can produce with an ancient sewing machine.
A Stitch In Time is a wee gem. Debutant director and writer Sasha Hadden might ladle on the sentiment a little thickly on the home straight, but every move he makes that gets us there is well executed.
The situation and dialogue are credible and surprisingly gritty at times, the cast are as generous and skilled as any director could hope for and the legendary Don McAlpine (The Dressmaker, Moulin Rouge!, Romeo + Juliet) is the cinematographer. McAlpine has long earned the right to choose his projects. If he signed onto a tiny, independent charmer like A Stitch In Time it is because he saw some magic in it. I think you will too.
A Stitch in Time is now screening in select cinemas nationwide.