The Dressmaker

It's 1951. Fashionable Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to her rural hometown of Dungatar, Australia. Her delusional mother (Judy Davis) lives in their rundown family home. Twenty five years earlier, she was banished for suspicion of murder which she does not remember. She seeks the truth and revenge for the guilty. Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) is a friendly neighbor. Sergeant Horatio Farrat (Hugo Weaving) is a cross-dresser.

This is filled with a collection of strange characters. The movie is set to be a weird dark disturbing affair. I don't care that much about the dressmaking except for helping Tilly to solve the 25 year old case. I'm not always a fan of extensive flashbacks but this movie needs it. The most compelling aspect is the mystery of the boy's death. The movie is energized whenever Tilly starts solving the case. The present is less compelling than the past. The pacing does struggle at times. It takes a darker turn after solving the case. In a way, the movie starts anew after the climax which is often problematic. There are many issues. It tries to be quirky light comedy at times which fit uncomfortably with the dark material. This is possibly a better fit for a mini-series where the various twists can be given a cliffhanger and room to breathe. There are some great sections but it's bumpy ride.