Review of The Dressmaker (2015) by Suzanne C — 09 Nov 2015

Did this film stink - no, it didn't stink. Did it raise a laugh, no it didn't. It had a great cast but poor Direction. One minute a comedy, the next a melodrama, its composite elements never really jelled. There were some strong performances, notable from Kate Winslet, who did her best to hold the film together, and Judy Davis, who's 'crusty old bastard with a heart of gold' routine worn very thin by the end of this annoying and uneven movie. It had all those manipulative "Billy Elliot' moments, built by an ensemble of cartoon characters, rather than actors.

Its tilt at humourous Australiana, alla 'The Dish' 'Priscilla' 'Muriel' etc, may have been cringeworthy for the more discerning viewer, in honesty the audience did chuckle in a few places, poor demented fools. I observed something similar with 'Red Dog',- Australians pretending to recognise themselves in an ensemble of quirky smalltown characters. The plot was messier than a blot of fabric thrown under a wheat harvestor, and about as coherent. In tune with the times, the films look flirted with a retro, wintery cool grey look, rather than the high contrast bleaching of the real Australian bush. It never rang true, although verisimilitude was obviously not the goal. One more film like this and I'm done with Australian film.