Brit Kate Winslet with a flawless Australian accent delivers a performance we never have seen before from her plays the titular character Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage in The Dressmaker, based on the debut novel of Aussie Rosalie Ham.
Set in the early 1950's in rural New South Wales, the Academy Award winning actress (The Reader) plays a glamorous and talented lady who comes back 25 years later to her hometown of Dungatar to face the ghosts of her past, of what drove her out there and to reconcile with her slightly demented mother Judy Davis (who gave her best performance since her memorable Oscar nominated turn in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives (1992)). As pieces unravel, Tilly set up shop to dress up the ladies of Dungatar with style she learned while in Paris, fell in love with a childhood friend Teddy (Liam Hemsworth) and exact revenge on those who wronged her.
Part Western with some drama and a lot of black comedy, The Dressmaker is one unpredictable film. Aside from Davis and Hemsworth, Winslet is ably supported by Aussie actors who gave wonderful performances and those who stood our include one of the best discoveries this year, Sarah Snook with her memorable turn as the frumpy Getrude whose transformation by Tilly set the dark comic tone of the film. Veteran Hugo Weaving is also great as the town's only police officer with a secret that channels his Priscilla: Queen of the Desert character.
With beautiful costumes, gorgeous shots of the Australian countryside and beautiful actors, The Dressmaker is Oz's most fun film since Priscilla and Muriel's Wedding.
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