A Stitch in Time (2022)
1h 38m | PG-13
A heart-warming story about a former dressmaker who reinvents herself after befriending a young Chinese fashion designer, who inspires her to follow her dream. A joyful and moving journey that beautifully celebrates age, culture, and the diversity of Australian life. When Liebe’s partner Duncan loses his job singing at the local pub, the former dressmaker becomes motivated to help him realise his dream to record an album. Inspired by Hamish, a young Chinese fashion designer who she meets at the local markets, she decides to make clothes again to compensate for the loss of income.
Director: Sasha Hadden
Studio: Hadden Motion Pictures
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Video: 720p
Cast
Maggie Blinco
as Liebe
Glenn Shorrock
as Justin
Hoa Xuande
as Hamish
Belinda Giblin
as Christine
John Gregg
as Justin
Arianne Hough
as Nurse
Reviews
Maggie Blinco turns in quite a touching performance here as the put-upon "Liebe" who has lived for fifty years with the failed and embittered musician "Duncan" (Glenn Shorrock). Frustrated, he decides that he wants to release a new album and so gets in touch with his old, now wealthy, bandmate "Justin" (John Gregg) who is married to her long-time but now estranged pal "Christine" (Belinda Giblin). A dinner between the couples goes pear-shaped very quickly, but not before "Liebe" realises that now might be a good time for her to resurrect her dress-making career. Luckily, she alights on the young and supportive "Hamish" (Hoa Xuande) who encourages her to try and make a go of it. Newly empowered, she leaves her over-bearing partner and initially moves in with "Christine" before that all turns sour and she ends up in a garage under a house full of messy but kindly Chinese exchange students. Can she make a go of it, independently, after all these years? Xuande also delivers quite amiably here as this story gathers a gentle pace that illustrates well just how a bit of spirit and determination - and a little bit of commercial savvy - can overcome the routine and safe aspects of life when you are elderly and emotionally trapped. Sadly, the rest of the acting - especially from Shorrock - is pretty wooden, and there is a little too much dialogue that goes nowhere before a predictably valedictory ending that is optimistic and reconciliatory in a way that I felt rather undermined the thrust of the story. Still, it's a simple story that is worth telling, and watching.