As the rain tears down on rippled metal roofs, the Cameroonian city of Douala is in the throes of preparation for the start of the new school year. The protagonist – the stoic, hardworking Mambar Pierette – is a dressmaker and as such becomes the local confidant, therapist and mother. Belgium-based director Rosine Mbakam uses her essayistic style to create a fictional tale of a woman facing a day of misfortune. In the francophone language Pierette is a ‘couturier’, but not in the way the Western world understands the term: she is sat hunched over a machine, runs her hands across fabric and slices through cloth whilst the rains threaten her livelihood and her relationships. Mbakam offers a glimpse into the lives of businesswomen working in the heart of their local communities where negotiations of time, money and expertise are complex and unregulated. From watching Pierette overcome every struggle, we begin to understand the real value of cloth.