Imagine a small town in Australia. It’s 1951. A young woman returns home with her Singer sewing machine and a sophisticated attitude that all her old friends lack. It’s been several years since she’s been home and she’s concerned that the whole town thinks she’s cursed, but she can’t fully explain why. Soon enough, it is revealed that she was sent off to boarding school because the town suspected she murdered a young boy.
When a woman who looks like Kate Winslet shows up out of the blue, everyone takes notice. As a clothing designer, Myrtle AKA Tilly (Kate Winslet) has beautiful taste in fashion and she distracts all the football players when she arrives at a game looking like a knockout in a red dress. Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), one of the football players, quickly becomes Tilly’s love interest and he’s a charming one at that.
One standout scene involves Tilly’s mother Molly (Judy Davis) tagging along on a movie date between Myrtle and Teddy. It’s hilarious because Molly shouts out commentary about the actors kissing, interrupting everyone else’s night out at the theatre.
As soon as Tilly makes her old friend Gertrude (Sarah Snook) a dress for a dance, everyone notices and starts placing orders. But as business picks up, Tilly can’t shake the guilt she carries with her from her youth. Thankfully, she befriends the local policeman who helps her understand what happened years ago. Teddy believes she is innocent, but their neighbours strongly disagree. The details that surface will surprise you, as the movie has many unexpected twists.
The Dressmaker is unlike any other movie I’ve ever seen. The dark comedy is quite refreshing. The plot is chaotic at times, but the characters are interesting and Kate Winslet is a capable leading lady. Liam Hemsworth is also nice to look at, although the script fails to acknowledge their age difference as a couple. This probably won’t be on the radar when it comes to nominate movies for awards, but fans of the stars won’t be disappointed with this Australian murder mystery.
The Dressmaker will be in theatres October 29.
[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1&v=uPCyjqGH914′]