Movie Review: The Dressmaker

Drama

Rated – M – Some course language

Duration – 118mins

Release – November 2015

Director – Jocelyn Moorhouse

Cast – Kate Winslet, Hugo Weaving, Liam Hemsworth

Mr Knight

Firstly, this one was not my choice. I have never been a huge fan of Australian films with the exception of Chopper, Animal Kingdom and Predestination. They seem to ooze with a nerdy, I’m trying too hard, never been cool, feeling. I went along to see The Dressmaker based solely on Mrs Knight receiving so many recommendations from friends that it was good.

For starters, Kate Winslet does an excellent Aussie accent, and that’s not being sarcastic. The one thing I do appreciate from Aussie cinema is the familiar sound of local birds singing in the gumtrees and the bush scenery up on the big screen. This movie has all of that.

Our movie starts off with Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) completely over dressed in eccentric heels, dress, gloves and hat, rocking up in a crappy 30 person town in the middle of the Aussie countryside in the dark of night, and with a thick Australian accent she says to herself, “I’m back you bastards.”

Tilly, a previous resident to the town, reacquaints herself with her mother, known as crazy Molly (Judy Davis) and moves herself in. Word soon spreads of Tilly’s return, however not all the buzz is positive in the town.

Tilly is haunted by her childhood and a distant memory she can’t quite grasp of the death of a boy at her school that she believes she played a part. Tilly left the town soon after and has only just returned, as a highly talented seamstress with the experiences of the world under her belt in a town where some, if not all, have never left.

The movie has a list of familiar faces from Australian TV shows and although the main theme of this one is a drama, it is filled throughout with a cheesy but clever humour, mostly provided by Tilly’s mother mad Molly and the local Police Sergeant Farrat done perfectly well by Hugo Weaving.

Despite its style and attraction to a more senior generation I actually enjoyed it. It’s light-hearted and has many parts that would appeal to an Australian audience, especially any who have roots from the country. Enjoy! 

Mrs Knight

This has been an incredibly hard review to write. I have been procrastinating. For those of you who have seen the film I’m sure you will understand where I’m coming from. The biggest thing everyone kept saying to me before I saw it, and I am now sharing the same thing with people is, “It’s not what you expect”. Three quarters of the way through, it took an unexpected turn and I liked it!

We see Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) return to her hometown in outback Victoria, Australia. Whispers immediately begin that she was allegedly connected to a murder a very long time ago. She doesn’t fit in very well, but her extraordinary dress making skills soon makes her popular with the otherwise nasty town folk. You get a real sense of the film from the beginning with the quirky camera work and close ups of the odd-balls in the town.

Kate Winslet’s Australian accent was so good I actually walked out of the cinema saying to Mr Knight “She’s not Australian is she?” Liam Hemsworth was a lot better than usual. While he’s always nice to look at, he was believable this time too. However, he didn’t talk all that much so maybe that’s why,

One thing I didn’t like and didn’t find especially believable was that Kate Winslet’s character was meant to be the same age as Liam Hemsworth’s Teddy and others in her school grade, like Gertrude (Sarah Snook). However, she played the part so well that I quickly got over it.

I was engaged from the beginning, trying to figure it all out. It dealt with serious issues and events but was portrayed in mostly quirky ways. The dark humour provided relief to the twisted tales. Hugo Weaving’s character, Sergeant Farrat and “Mad Molly”, Tilly’s mother provided a lot of the comedic relief. I don’t want to say too much else as I would hate to give anything away.

Overall I enjoyed it. I walked out a little baffled at what I just watched, but I enjoyed it. Go support an Aussie film and see it in cinema!