Pin Cushion review: A beautifully tragic tale of a naive mother and daughter, who find themselves the victims of cruel tormentors after moving into a new town.
Pin Cushion review, Kat Hughes.
Pin Cushion Review
Pin Cushion is a UK film from first-time feature director, Deborah Haywood, one that takes the viewer on an incredible emotional journey. The script, also written by Haywood, tells the dreamy and tragic story of a mother and daughter as they relocate to a small Midlands town. Iona (Lily Newmark) and her mother Lyn (Joanna Scanlan) share an exceptionally close bond. Unlike most teenage girls and their mothers, the pair spend all their time together dancing, doing puzzles and hanging out with their beloved pet Budgie. Soon after moving, their connection is tested as both struggle to fit in. Timid and socially awkward, Lyn finds herself the ridicule of the local townsfolk due to her appearance, and daughter Iona finds herself in some increasingly dangerous situations as she seeks to impress the local mean girls. As events unfold, their relationship is tested to its very limits and the previously dreamy duo find themselves confronted with the harsh reality and toxicity of modern society.
Filmed in director Deborah Haywood’s home town of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, Pin Cushion is a film that highlights the real dangers and consequences of bullying. In particular it shines an unflinching light on the viciousness of teenage girls. When it comes to tormenting a peer, no-one is quite as proficient at it as a young female, and with Pin Cushion Haywood shows just how cruel and crafty they can be. Haywood doesn’t pull any punches and the realness of the bullying scenarios will resonate with many.
The torment and torture builds slowly with Iona completely unaware that her new friends are anything but. The trio, headed up by Keeley (Sacha Cordy-Nice), poke fun at Iona’s style, choice of potential suitor, and lack of sexual experience. It’s tragic to think that we live in a society wherein some girls, whom are barely in their teens, are weighing up whether to be friends with someone based on how many sexual encounters they have had. A lack of said experience makes their peers frigid, weird and something to make fun of. What makes the whole situation so much worse is Iona’s inability to realise what is happening, and her way of re-writing events. The film is littered with glimpses into Iona’s fantasy life, in which her mother is a glamorous air steward (played by Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle) and her new frenemies all worship her. She also spends far too much time making excuses for her friends’ behaviour.
Meanwhile, Lyn is having an equally tough time as she finds herself increasingly isolated from the world around her. Just like her daughter, she also creates stories. She begins to lie to Iona that she’s made friends, has started dating etc., all to mask her pain and loneliness. It makes Pin Cushion a traumatic watch at times as you know that things could get better if they just talked to each other like they used to. Again, this is sadly something that is very real in today’s world and, by highlighting these issues, maybe Pin Cushion can help some people.
Pin Cushion isn’t quite as bleak as it may sound however. There’s also a lot of light scattered throughout. Iona’s fantasies for example, offer the viewer an escape just as much as they do for Iona. Whereas the bullying is as on the nose as it can get, the cinematography veers into a more ethereal and whimsical landscape. There’s a lot of pinkish hues throughout which add a layer of warmth, and the setting and costumes add colour and vibrancy to break-up the dark elements of the story.
With Pin Cushion Haywood manages the near impossible, she simultaneously breaks your heart and makes it swell. It’s a strange contradiction that works perfectly. The honesty of the plot leads to some very uncomfortable scenes. One stand-out scene occurs during a house party, it’s a sequence which is a masterstroke of tension and impending doom. On the flip side, Haywood also injects a lot of sweet and tender moments, your emotions will be going everywhere at once whilst viewing, and be warned, you’ll need tissues.
The acting from all involved is superb. Lily Newmark in particular gives a phenomenal performance, one that is sure to garner her attention and hopefully a bright career. There’s something of an Anya Taylor-Joy vibe to the young actor and I can only hope that she follows in Joy’s footsteps. The relationship between mother and daughter is effortless, and at its best when they are embracing their inner freaks. Upon first introduction, the pair could easily get mistaken for having walked off of the set of The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Both characters are so wonderfully quirky and naive that the viewer will want to wrap them in cotton wool and keep them safe from the world. Watching their slow descent at the hands of their tormentors (some whom are clearly old enough to know better) causes an intense heartache.
Pin Cushion encapsulates the wickedness of teenage girls horrifyingly accurately. A story of broken bonds, bullying, tenderness and cruelty, this film takes the emotions on an almighty journey, breaking your heart in the most beautiful way.
Pin Cushion review, Kat Hughes, February 2018.
Pin Cushion screens as part of 2018’s Final Girls Berlin Film Festival. The film can also be seen at Glasgow Film Festival later this month.
