Two sisters, one locked basement, and a dress that threatens to unravel everything.
After a recent episode of self-harm landed Ava in the hospital, she is forced to stay with her sister Gillian. Gillian imposes strict rules, including locking away all sharp objects, to keep Ava safe. When Ava finds their late mother’s sewing things in the basement, she becomes obsessed with making a dress. Gillian, exhausted from juggling a corporate job and caregiving, tries to focus Ava’s attention on healing instead of hobbies – but her efforts to control Ava only deepen the rift between them. As Ava’s dress takes shape, so does her sense of autonomy, challenging Gillian’s idea of what recovery should look like. The tension escalates when an argument over therapy turns physical, leading to a moment of violence neither sister intended. But in the aftermath, the sisters begin to glimpse a different way forward – messy, uncertain, and stitched with care.
Acting
Wright-Mead and Schmidt weaponize silence.
Direction
Frings makes 16 minutes feel like a lifetime.
Cinematography
The dress becomes its own character.
Director
Victoria Frings
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film deliberately avoids showing Ava's self-harm, rejecting trauma porn in favor of depicting the exhausting, banal labor of caregiving.
Wright-Mead actually learned to sew for the role and made portions of the dress on camera.
US
