•
Rating: Kate Winslet, one of Hollywood's many goddesses, is more than a good reason to think well of The Dressmaker, a 2016 event film full of surprises and interesting insights.
The lights go down in the theater and, within seconds, a close-up of Winslet:
I'm back, bastards.
And the film begins in the best way, the viewer is encouraged to immerse themselves in the movie, immediately prompted to ask questions: why has she returned? Where has she been? Why "bastards"? The answers to these questions are revealed throughout the film, which could be described as both comedy and drama. Throughout its duration, about 110 minutes long, it's capable of making you laugh as much as it moves you. The film tells the story of Tilly Dunnage, portrayed by the goddess Winslet, a beautiful and incredibly talented dressmaker who has worked in many of the most prestigious ateliers (she mentions more than once having worked in Paris, Spain, and Milan), returned to her hometown, Dungatar, in Australia, to try to remember what happened when she was still a child, why she was banished from the town, and here she has to take care of her crazy mother Molly (Judy Davis, the film's funniest character, along with Hugo Weaving). The whole town hates both her and, by reflection, her mother, because everyone believes that young Tilly killed the mayor's son. During her stay, she reunites with many of her former friends (or should I say "friends", as she was mistreated by almost everyone) from childhood, including Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), who falls in love with her and helps her discover the truth about what happened to that child. I'm not revealing the rest of the plot: I want you to go see this movie because it's truly worth it.
The strength of this film, in addition to a fine production and the high-quality performance of Winslet and the other characters, is its ability to metaphorize the influence that gossip can have on people's lives (Tilly's life was completely shattered due to the rumors that spread in the small town of Dungatar) and how appearance takes top priority in a hypothetical value scale: for instance, Tilly’s fellow townspeople, those who hated her for the alleged wrongdoing, those who exiled her when she was just a child, are willing to forgive her and even love her when they become aware of her enormous talent. Tilly takes advantage of this growing need to appear as one wants to be, rather than as one is, to take revenge. The narcissism of Dungatar's citizens will backfire on them, allowing Winslet's character to uncover the truth about her past and, in the end, destroy the lives of those who once destroyed hers in the distant past.
Every technical aspect of the film is quite remarkable: Jocelyn Moorhouse's direction is elegant, refined but never gaudy, pompous, or self-serving: the viewer's eye is always wisely guided by camera movements and the arrangement of scenic elements through the unfolding of the plot and towards the fantastic costumes designed by Maryon Boyce; the editing does its job, never exaggerating or slowing down the pace of the action; the cinematography, good but not exceptional, manages to highlight the fundamental elements of the scene. And as for the actors' performances… well, the divine Kate is a step above the rest, but her colleagues also succeeded in bringing to life eccentric, over-the-top but never annoying characters.
In conclusion, The Dressmaker - The Devil is Back is a must-see film: just under two hours that pass quickly between laughter and, for the more sensitive, a few tears. Yet another gem that Australian cinema has managed to gift to the world.
Loading comments slowly
