The Dressmaker is a visual feast - contrasting a dreary rural Australian town with outrageous couture costumes - but it's let down by an inflated running time and confused tone.
Kate Winslet is magnificent in the central role of Tilly Dunnage, a femme fatale style character who was ostracised from her small town as a child after being accused of murdering a young boy. She makes a triumphant return many years later in a form-hugging scarlet frock, determined to clear her name and wreak revenge on the wrongdoers from her past.
Her mother Molly, played by the brilliant Judy Davis, has suffered a slow demise in her absence, and Tilly soon sets to work bringing her home on the hill to a decent living standard, while battling with her mum's contrary ways.
Tilly decides to set up shop in the house, intent on transforming the fuddy-duddy women of the town, all the while trying to unravel the mystery of her supposedly dark past, of which she has little memory. She soon catches the eye of local dishy footballer, and all round nice guy Teddy (Liam Hemsworth) who tries to break through her distant exterior and win her heart.
If it sounds like it's all a bit batty, well, it undoubtedly is, and the film careens wildly from black humour to tragedy, to slapstick comedy and back again, giving it an utterly chaotic quality.
It's just about brought back to earth by the strong performances of Winslet, who is fierce and powerful, Davis, who brings a wild energy to the film, and an affable and sensitive turn from Hemsworth, and the superb cinematography and exquisite costumes make it a delight to watch - for the most part.
Ultimately, the almost two-hour running time is the film's ultimate downfall - and no amount of fabulous haute couture creations can stave off the listlessness that sets in for the film's final 30 minutes.
Sarah McIntyre
