DVD Movie Review | The Dressmaker (Lights, Camera, Action!)

The Dressmaker (UK Rating: 12)

The Dressmaker, which is on DVD as of Monday, 14th March, is set in the one-horse-town of Dungatar. It's about as unglamorous as they come, but off the train steps the immaculately dressed Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet), carrying a Singer sewing machine. Now a highly successful dressmaker, she's returning to her home town after 20 years with two things on her mind. She wants to sort out her relationship with her eccentric mother, Molly (Judy Davis), and take her revenge on the people who blighted her past.

For the first hour, this is a revenge comedy with a decidedly dark tone - one that it approaches with huge relish and more than a little imagination. While they may seem incongruous, the Spaghetti Western references work a treat: perhaps it's something to do with all that sand and relentless sun. Tilly herself announces her intention loud and clear to her enemies by hitting golf balls at their homes so that they clatter down their metal roofs and do all kinds of damage. Her aim is nigh-on perfect.

Her appearance also sets her apart from everybody in the drab, parched little town. She dresses in bright colours, her clothes fit perfectly, and her make-up and hair are flawless. Not only that, but her dresses emphasise her figure and femininity, so she turns male heads, especially when she attends the local footie derby. Admittedly, not everybody is happy about her return, but there's a warm welcome from local cop, Farrat (Hugo Weaving), who, it turns out, is more than a little interested in women's clothes and finery. As Tilly's stunning creations capture the attention - and patronage - of the local women, the scene is set for a lively revenge comedy, even if the connection between the frocks and Tilly's master plan isn't immediately obvious.

Winslet gives one of her better performances here, looking fabulous in the dresses and convincing as somebody who's been a misfit all her life. She has to be on form in her scenes with Judy Davis, though, who is touching, hideous, and outrageously funny as her mother, an eccentric with a seriously unreliable memory. Sadly, the other characters aren't as well rounded, with Hemsworth providing the love interest and the others just playing it for laughs, with varying degrees of success.

5/10

Average

If only The Dressmaker had lived up to its initial promise. The first hour is deliciously black, whetting the audience's appetite for something tasty. Instead, viewers are left high and dry by a narrative that goes walkabout and struggles to tie up its loose ends. Even performers of the calibre of Davis and Winslet can't save it from being something of a let-down.