The Dressmaker

Jocelyn Moorhouse's film based on Rosalie Ham's 2000 novel is basically a revenge drama, but plays like a dark period comedy, while adding elements of murder mystery, romantic comedy, tragedy, small-town exposé, and sentimental mother-daughter reunion tale into the mix. The title character is Tilly (Kate Winslet), who returns to her dusty Australian home village in the early 1950s, moving back into the ramshackle house where her mother, “Mad” Molly (Judy Davis), still lives. Although now an accomplished couturière, Tilly was literally ejected from the town at the age of 10 for supposedly killing a schoolmate, but is unable to remember the incident, and she has come back to investigate. As she reconnects with Molly, Tilly begins to make frocks for local women while also befriending the local constable (Hugo Weaving), a genial cross-dresser, and entering into a hesitant romance with a handsome neighbor (Liam Hemsworth). But Tilly also has enemies, most notably the dictatorial town councilor (Shane Bourne), father of the dead boy, and the nasty schoolteacher (Kerry Fox) who accused Tilly of murder. Although The Dressmaker affords sporadically delicious moments, the film suffers from an uneven tone, which shifts wildly from slapstick comedy to bleak tragedy in the blink of an eye. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include production segments on “The Story” (4 min.) and “Designing” (4 min.), and a photo gallery. Bottom line: a small extras package for an often engaging but uneven film.] (F. Swietek)