In Fabric

Marianne Jean-Baptiste dons a cursed dress in In Fabric

Peter Strickland's In Fabric, from 2018, is an art film that satirizes consumerism. A cursed red dress passes from one wearer to another bringing doom to all. The center of the action is a Marks & Spencer type department store presided over by a coven of Adorno quoting witches. Realism is the furthest thing from Strickland's mind. The supernatural doings recall the Giallo strain of horror.

I found the film to be a step forward from Strickland's previous film, The Duke of Burgundy, mostly because he gives a little more warmth and humanity to his principal players. I admired the performances of Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Leo Bill, and Hayley Squires. I certainly won't forget Ms. Jean-Baptiste suffering through one of the worst first dates in cinematic history. Ms. Jean-Baptiste's character finds her date through the personal ads, another way in which Strickland seek to critique consumerism. In this version of the capitalist marketplace, we are all reduced to discrete commodities. 

In truth, I feel Strickland flogs this theme a little too vigorously. Transitional sequences, accompanied by the discordant bleeps and bloops of Cavern of Anti-Matter's soundtrack, show montages of fashion ads, personal ads, and consumer friendly spaces. These redundant sequences pad a film which could easily lose twenty minutes or so. Still, most of the film's technical aspects, save the score, are outstanding; especially Ari Wegner's cinematography. Strickland resembles Peter Greenaway in his visual gifts and his chilly, cerebral tone. Happily, In Fabric introduces the saving grace of empathy.