Review of The Dressmaker (2015) by Foxgrove — 24 Sep 2016

Odd, funny, sexy and romantic. This is a real curio of a black comedy that has a perfectly cast Kate Winslet returning to the small Australian town of Dungaten after being banished as a young girl for a murder she may, or may not, have committed.

The town’s people constitute a strange and eclectic bunch. Amongst the saner residents are Liam Hemsworth as the obvious handsome suitor and Hugo weaving as the police officer with a secret, also responsible for sending Winslet’s character away.

Best of all is scene stealer Judy Davis as mad Molly, Winslet’s mother with a secret or two of her own. She is great, tossing off witty or acidic throwaways with consummate ease. The film is genuinely funny and taps into the black humour wonderfully, a rare achievement in itself.

The costumes and music are divine and the general tone of the film hits its mark. Unfortunately, it does go on a tad too long which is detrimental to the overall impact.