It’s hard out there for coming-of-age movies. It’s the type of genre that has to continually reinvent itself for fear of becoming stagnant and outdated. Which is what makes “Pin Cushion” such a refreshing film to see. In our review of the film, we called it “no ordinary British indie coming-of-age dramedy” that treats happiness as “a piece of scotch tape that is bound to come off in the rain.” And thanks to the trailer and synopsis, it’s easy to see why.
Super close Mother LYN and daughter IONA (Dafty One and Dafty Two) are excited for their new life in a new town. Determined to make a success of things after a tricky start, Iona becomes ‘best friends’ with KEELY, STACEY and CHELSEA. Used to being Iona’s bestie herself, Lyn feels left out. So Lyn also makes friends with BELINDA, her neighbour. As much as Lyn and Iona pretend to each other that things are going great, things aren’t going great for either of them. Iona struggles with the girls, who act more like frenemies than friends, and Belinda won’t give Lyn her stepladders back. Both Mother and Daughter retreat into fantasy and lies.
Director and screenwriter Deborah Haywood’s debut feature film broke out at the Venice Film Festival and boasts an enviable 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. We praised Haywood’s clever direction that “brilliantly subverts her audience’s expectations at every step of the way” and called her “a new voice in cinema worth listening to.”
The film stars Lily Newmark, Joanna Scanlan, Loris Scarpa, and Sacha Cordy-Nice. Eagle-eyed fans might recognize Newmark from her work in this year’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” But it’s her “outstanding” work in “Pin Cushion” that should give her the breakout status she deserves. “She’s going to be a big deal as a result of this film… it’s an admirable performance that deserves recognition.”
“Pin Cushion” will open in theaters July 20. Definitely, don’t miss it.