Venice Critics’ Week opener Pin Cushion is a devilishly dark coming-of-age movie that tells the troubling tale of meek, eccentric single mother Lyn (Joanna Scanlan) and her teenage daughter Iona (Lily Newmark), who move to a drab Midlands town hoping for a fresh new start. Their relationship treads a fine line between heartbreakingly tender and unsettlingly creepy.
As Iona tries desperately to fit in with the bitchy cool clique at school, she attempts to distance herself from Lyn, whose hunchback and distinctive dress sense make her an easy target for mockery. As a rift grows between the pair, they retreat further into their own respective fantasy worlds, with disastrous consequences.
Director: Deborah Haywood
Producer: Gavin Humpries
Funded by BFI
Official Selection: 32. Venice Film Festival