Stitches

A film by Taylor Olson

Stitches is a psychological body‑horror anthology that follows three isolated men as they submit to rituals of “healing” that warp into spectacles of self‑destruction. An AI‑guided cleanse, a public livestream of penance, and an experimental drug trial each begin as attempts at repair but quickly unravel into grotesque performances, where pain becomes currency and suffering becomes content. In a world ravenous for voyeurism — and increasingly mediated by artificial intelligence — the film asks why we keep filming harm, why we share it, and why watching someone break can feel disturbingly familiar. Each segment exposes the violence we inflict on ourselves in pursuit of transformation, and the cultural hunger that rewards it.

The film marks the first horror work from Taylor Olson, a queer former athlete‑turned filmmaker whose career spans award‑winning features, television, and performance. A Canadian Screen Award nominee, Olson’s debut Bone Cage swept the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival and earned more than 30 accolades worldwide, followed by Look At Me, which premiered at Slamdance 2024 and he Best Narrative Feature award at 2024 Tallahassee Film Festival. With Stitches, Olson turns inward, embodying multiple roles that serve as fractured reflections of their own history with shame, disordered eating, performance, and trauma. The result is a visceral, intimate, and unsettling exploration of healing as spectacle and the prison that forms when the world won’t stop watching.

Director, Writer: Taylor Olson
Producers: Taylor Olson, Tieren Hawkins
Principle Cast: Taylor Olson, Rob Wells