Review: In Fabric

Image courtesy of A24.

Director Peter Strickland's latest giallo-inspired horror-comedy mashup, "In Fabric," is an example of a movie that's almost successful, but not quite. It's often visually stimulating, frequently funny in an absurdist type of way and stylish. Its performances - especially one from Marianne-Jean Baptiste - are good, and it's quite unlike anything else you'll likely see this year. Did I mention that it's about a haunted dress?

In the film, Baptiste plays Sheila, a bank teller with a not-so-enviable life. She's newly divorced and lives with an inattentive son, Vince (Jaygann Ayeh), and occasionally his irritating girlfriend, Gwen (Gwendoline Christie), who makes her hostility toward Sheila obvious. Sheila goes on dates with men she meets online, the first of whom is an insufferable bore, but the second of whom strikes her fancy.

Sheila also suffers through a ridiculous work environment, where she's frequently subjected to hilariously awful job reviews by two of her bosses, who criticize her handshake, which they say isn't "meaningful," as well as her taking bathroom breaks before lunch and waving at her boss's mistress. During one particularly absurd meeting, they ask her to describe her dreams.

Almost equally as ludicrous is her interaction with Miss Luckmore (Fatma Mohamed), who runs a mysterious clothing store where the haunted dress lies in wait. Miss Luckmore's sales pitches and descriptions of retail transactions are delivered in cryptic dialogue that is almost as preposterously silly - and purposefully - as that of Sheila's bosses.

Sheila learns that the dress's previous owner died mysteriously, and soon after she buys it she notices some odd things - for instance, a rash on her body when she wears the dress and the piece of couture's capacity for making washing machines violently explode. Much like Strickland's previous films, "In Fabric" utilizes stylistic tics that were common in 1970s giallo movies, and its soundtrack bears resemblance to European horror movie scores from that decade.

But much like Strickland's previous movies - the better "Berberian Sound Studio" and the sadomasochistic "The Duke of Burgundy" - the style only gets one so far. I liked "In Fabric" up to a point - namely, the midway point, when suddenly the narrative takes off in a new, and less interesting, direction. Halfway through the picture, we leave Sheila to follow the story of a dumpy mechanic and his girlfriend who come to possess the dress. What follows isn't as compelling - or stylistically entrancing - as the first half. The film ends on a note of anarchy, although most viewers will likely be left wondering what the hell exactly happened.

There's a fair amount to praise in the film - its direction, Baptiste's strong performance, the mordantly absurd humor, a sly anticapitalist critique, some gorgeous shots and haunting music. But its somewhat lackluster second half detracts from the overall film.

Those who seek out oddball horror movies will likely want to give "In Fabric" a go, but with the caveat that the picture isn't quite able to retain its momentum. Regardless, the film is unlike any other horror movie of recent memory - that is, other than Strickland's other bizarre giallo tributes.