The Dressmaker

This review may contain spoilers!

This film bears such a powerful beginning and ending with an incredible performance by Kate Winslet that was sadly bogged down by a weak plot, subplots and poorly written characters. I would give The Dressmaker a 4.5/10.

In terms of narrative what really matters was the character of Tilly and how elbaorate her search for the truth was as well as her own psychological damage done by the people within her town. This incredible character immediately hooked you at the start of the film and nearly had you cheering in your seat by the end of the film. The soundtrack and score really fluctuated but ultimately orchestrated many seats beautifully.

Hugo Weaving, who played Sergeant Farrat, was a rather whimsical and likeable character in this film; his crossdressing persona and immense chemistry with Winslet made a lot of scenes quite enjoyable. Kerry Fox, who played Beulah Harridiene, portrayed the best antagonist of the film; such a vicious and petty role that was portrayed with the appropriate spite. Julia Blake, who played Irma Almanac, was such a kind figure in this film; her scenes brought the best out of Davis and she really was a role you genuinely liked. Genevieve Lemon, who played Mae McSwiney, did grief so incredibly well in this film; when she broke down over Hemsworth's death it quickly became one of the better scenes of the film.

However the best performance came from Kate Winslet, who played Myrtle 'Tilly' Dunnage. I swear when Winslet does a leading role in a historical drama you know she's going to knock it out of the park. The reason for that is her presence, she commands the personality of her character completely. You see all degrees of her role in this film, defiance, grief, weakness, strength, love, joy and triumph. Winslet is a powerful performer and she shows it in this film, dominating every scene and proving that she can lead a film solely by herself.

This film has a muddied plot, muddied in the sense that we're constantly being diverted with these bizarre comedic moments, or out of place romance subplots, or spontaneous changes in how characters act. It was strange and the more this went on the more outlandish the film got. Ultimately the pacing of the film suffered by going so far afield and you felt as if the film had gone on for too long by the end of it all. The cinematography was nothing short of wasted potential, the film opened with stunning shots but wound up being peppered with mediocre imagery after the first ten minutes. The editing was no better, the incredible cutting at the start of the film gave way to a simple flow after only a short time.

Liam Hemsworth, who played Teddy McSwiney, was a character that introduced a strange subplot into this film; he became a romantic interest for Winslet which felt very out of place in this film. Sarah Snook, who played Gertrude 'Trudy' Pratt, was a very weak superficial character; I was baffled by how constantly her character kept changing without any justifiable explanation. Judy Davis, who played Molly Dunnage, gave a performance that just didn't feel genuine; her comedy fell flat and seemed to be pathetic instead. Caroline Goodall, who played Elsbeth, was such an over the top character; her acting was exaggerated completely. Rebecca Gibney and Shane Jacobson, who played Muriel Pratt and Alvin Pratt respectively; had next to no presence in this film; they just became bumbling sideshow acts to Snook, Goodall and Mackay. James Mackay, who played William Beaumont, was supposed to be a charming role that was alluring; instead he sort of awkwardly stood in for a few scenes and didn't have any chemistry with the rest of the cast. Gyton Grantley, who played Barney McSwiney, didn't feel very convincing in his performance of a disabled person; I think there needed to be a lot more to make this a good portrayal. Barry Otto, who played Percival Almanac, was this bizarre twisted role; he just didn't feel realistic at all. Sacha Horler, who played Una Pleasance, was another cast member who tended towards performing over the top; she just felt very artificial in her performance. Alison Whyte, who played Marigold Pettyman, was shockingly erratic in her role; she escalated to a point that just didn't seem very believable in the film. Shane Bourne, who played Evan Pettyman, had no screen presence in this film; his role as an antagonist was greatly diminished because of this.