In Sewing a Nightmare, fashion and fear are stitched together in a surreal, genre-bending exploration of isolation, ambition, and anxiety. We sat down with the filmmaker, Louise V. Mason, to discuss how their background in textiles, photography, and urban life informed the film’s haunting aesthetic and emotional intensity.
Patrick Roy, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): You began your career in fashion design, and this film centers around a tailor—was this story a personal reflection or inspired by your own experience in the world of textiles and design?
Louise V. Mason (LM): I will always love textiles and design and am still very much a part of that world too. I have fortunately found some positive aspects in every gig I have ever had and enjoy the team work of being on a big design project even when it’s a very last minute, intricate, fast paced and dare I say it hectic one and I also enjoy doing textiles and design work on my own. I think this film shows an understanding of what it is to be alone on a project and obviously I enjoy that but I could totally see how someone else would be very freaked out and overwhelmed.The film is loosely inspired by one time I had stayed late with my sewing machine for a traveling seamstress gig. It was a really great project and extremely last minute but it let out extremely late at night. I was all alone by the time I had clocked out and was on my way home. It was pitch black outside and I wasn’t anywhere walkably near any public transit stations. My sewing machine was extremely heavy because it was in its extremely protective hard shell carrying case and I had a little extra money with me so I called a cab but the cab got lost on the way to pick me up. It finally arrived and luckily I was alright but getting home was a tense situation and a long ways away. In addition I have had other traveling tailor gigs, some last minute, which were great but finding out my destination with very little time to get there could have been difficult for someone else.The film is somewhat inspired by all the different scary surprises one could imagine you might come upon right before a job begins or once the job is done as you make your way to the next one and also how much I love sewing.
(UM): Sewing a Nightmare blends fashion, suspense, and psychological unease. How did you approach the visual language of the film to reflect the protagonist’s unraveling mental state?
(LM): As the garment is literally constructed with the sewing machine, the protagonist’s facial expressions become less stoic and more expressive, especially anxious due to constant external threats and loneliness. It’s the juxtaposition between the human and the machine and then the dress is just a device to keep the two aligned through work, but for how long, hence uncertainty. Then with the dream sequence that features the dress, through cinematography there was a real sense of the meaningful fashion project potentially never even being worn by way of the surrealist camera work.
(UM): There’s a strong sense of foreboding and alienation in the film. What inspired the presence of this “unknown entity” and the protagonist’s isolation in a bustling city?
(LM): I really enjoy film noir because of the genre’s uncertainty and mystery that takes place in cities, usually a great place for endless opportunities. I thought why not amplify the loneliness, sinister vibes, apprehension and alienation that film noir has to offer so much so that the mystery could literally be a metaphor for a monster.
(UM): Costuming and texture seem essential to the film’s mood. How did your background in fashion and costume design influence the way you built tension visually?
(LM): Yes. I was always talented at picking textiles for the design construction phase. I wanted the film to have grit, hence a lot of the shots of concrete in the city and I wanted the costumes to go hand in hand with that. The protagonist wears a lot of blue in the beginning, some blue garments with texture and some sleek, smooth garments for contrast. Blue is a color that is usually associated with sadness and dare I say it a little bit of maleness, hence the grit and toughness I wanted to portray in the city. The dress she is working on is pink, a color that is usually associated with girlyness and fun. As the film goes on the protagonist starts to wear some reds, a color that can be associated with madness, and some vibrant green, a color that could be interpreted as psychedelic. Through textured fabrics and color changes throughout the movie, some that match with the environment and some that don’t I was able to create visual unease.
(UM): The protagonist faces both external menace and emotional neglect. How do these dual pressures comment on the everyday anxieties of modern urban women, especially those working in creative or service roles?
(LM): Having a loved one to check in with during times of fear as well as times of loneliness is crucial in living a happy healthy life and cities are fast paced much like the jobs that go with the location. It is important to remember to take care of yourself and to not deny yourself comfort. In creative roles you meet a lot of people with a lot of projects that might experience ups and downs and that’s a good thing to be mindful of. In service roles you meet a lot of demanding people that could very well also be mean. Having this terribly perfect storm of isolation and something that is so much more than mean pestering you in Sewing A Nightmare is a reminder that no one is invincible and life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
(UM): You’ve worked in both still photography and cinematography. How did those two practices converge in the visual aesthetics of Sewing a Nightmare?
(LM): I knew the difference between the still photograph and the motion picture from the inside out. It was helpful in capturing the very still scenes as well as the very fast paced scenes with tons of movement and different kinds of light.
(UM): The film plays with genre elements—mystery, horror, psychological drama. How did you balance these tones while maintaining a cohesive emotional arc?
(LM): I tried to keep the protagonist’s feelings as real as possible and that helped keep the cohesive emotional arc.
(UM): You’ve collaborated with major photographers and worked on high-profile costume teams. How did those experiences influence your storytelling or approach on set as a director?
(LM): In regards to collaborating with major photographers, my experience in precise perspective and sculpting light or the absence of it shows. In regards to being a part of high profile costume teams my experience in costume continuity and costume funcincalty shows especially because this is a fashion heavy film.
(UM): The city is a subtle but constant presence in the film. What role does the urban environment play in the tension and atmosphere of the story?
(LM): Constant potential for anonymity because cities are much bigger than the suburbs.
(UM): Sewing a Nightmare captures a deeply personal breakdown in the face of creative and emotional pressure. What do you hope viewers walk away with after watching the film?
(LM): A city is a dog eat dog kind of place and making it can be very difficult.
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