Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to her outback Australian town in the 1950s, now an accomplished dressmaker following training and work in Europe. Dunnage has a past in the town that she does not remember well that involves a murder and she is keen to determine the truth.
For me, 'The Dressmaker' is a curate's egg of a film. I loved Judy Davis and Hugo Weaving who have key supporting roles. Winslet handles the Australian accent as well as any foreign performer that I can recall and delivers her usual competent performance but she is mismatched in age with Liam Hemsworth and some other characters.
The film contains many humorous moments and yet there are as many that misfire. The odd collection of township characters felt over the top to me. What mostly seems to be a comic mystery dips into some quite dark areas as it proceeds and the film is overlong. Some of the plot tangents are inexplicable.
I hoped to like the film more than I did and in fairness I should point that a party of nurses from my hospital enjoyed it greatly as quite obviously did the largely female audience at the session we attended.
★★1/2
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