The movie The Dressmaker had already been released in Australia when I was there. In fact, the woman sitting next to me on the plane watched it during the flight from Auckland to San Francisco. I kept sneaking peaks at her screen and was very intrigued. When I saw that it was going to be released at my favorite art house theater I got really excited and I ended up seeing it Sunday afternoon. I loved this movie so much! Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to the Australian outback town of Dungatar 25 years after being sent away hoping to remember the events surrounding the death of a boy which prompted her exile and vowing revenge of those in the town who mistreated her. Having worked in a salon in Paris, she is now an accomplished dressmaker and, while the townspeople initially shun her, they all request her services after a dress made for Gertrude (Sarah Snook), the town ugly duckling, is a great success. There are some absolutely hilarious situations with the eccentric characters in the town, especially when Tilly's crazy mother (Judy Davis) refuses to take a bath, when the cross dressing police chief (Hugo Weaving) gives up a confidential police statement when tempted by a feather boa, and when Gertrude tries on her wedding dress (created by the rival seamstress in town) and literally escapes out the window and runs down the street to hire Tilly. Eventually, Tilly learns the truth about what happened that fateful day and gets her revenge on the townspeople in a great scene. Kate Winslet is brilliant in this role and the clothes she wears are to die for! My favorite scene is when she literally brings a football game to a standstill by wearing a bright red couture gown. Judy Davis had me laughing every time she opened her mouth in a hilarious performance. I loved the Australian scenery and I found the flashback scenes, filmed in an almost sepia tone, to be incredibly effective at conveying a mood. It has won just about every film award there is to win in Australia and I highly recommend it!
Note: Did I mention that Liam Hemsworth plays Tilly's love interest? He takes off his shirt several times!
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