“I’m back you bastards.”
It isn’t every day that you get to see Kate Winslet be a badass bitch on a mission for revenge, but Jocelyn Moorhouse’s The Dressmaker offers us just that chance - and it is not one you are going to want to miss.
Embodying Tilly Dunnage from Rosalie Ham’s beloved novel, Winslet knocks it out of the park as a young woman, hell bent on vengeance, who returns to her small hometown of Dungatar in the Australian Outback to right a wrong and uncover a truth regarding her childhood.
Though a surprisingly dark film, The Dressmaker excels thanks to its flawless comedic undertone. Helped by witty dialogue and a well-rounded supporting cast that includes the likes of Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth and Hugo Weaving, the film refuses to get too depressing, opting instead to interject humor into the often somber lives of those who call Dungatar home.
The film begins as Tilly hits golf balls off her mother’s front porch. With her sights set on particular places, the scene allows our central figure to inform us of exactly what happened to stir such hatred between them. The scene is a quick look into the history between Tilly and the town that despises her, but more importantly it allows us all to realize that while centered on hate, there is a lot of humor to accompany Tilly’s forthcoming journey.
But the humor isn’t always present (or welcome) as the film quickly gears its focus on women who have become victims of the men they entrusted with their lives. From an elderly lady suffering from the ill effects of domestic abuse to another who finds herself drugged and raped every night by her husband, the film ventures into many dark areas early on. And while Tilly appears to be a bright star that most need, her arrival is anything but rejoiced by those who remember the events that led to her ostracism from the town as a child.
It is those events that have brought Tilly back. Unable to fully remember what happened, she has returned to uncover clues to hopefully answer the dreadful question that has haunted her during her international travels: Is she a murderer?
Winslet’s performance is Oscar worthy as she successfully exemplifies both the drama and comedy that exists within Tilly’s bones. Though she appears to be rectifying some of the wrong, and wishing against all omens that she is, in fact, not cursed, you sense a false confidence within her voice as she exudes a sense of arrogance that is only personified as she wins over the women in the town with her ability to transform them with her stylish clothing designs.
But clothes can only get you so far.
While an ally in Sergeant Farrat (played brilliantly by Hugo Weaving) and a budding love interest with Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) help to keep the film somewhat light, the flashbacks that slowly piece together the events of Tilly’s childhood keep the film rooted in sorrow.
That sorrow continues to plague her as she finds herself dealing with many situations while at home, routinely suffering the mishaps of those she trusts most. So much so that you find yourself smiling with a heavy lump at the bottom of your throat as the final scene plays out. And though our lead protagonist isn’t quite as innocent as we had originally thought, its always nice to see karma run its course.
