Kate Winslet’s comedy/dramaThe Dressmaker has been described as a sumptuous, saucy, and scandalous tale of love and vengeance in the mid-1950s.
Based on the adaptation of the bestselling novel by Rosalie Ham, The Dressmaker tells the story of Tilly Dunnage (Winslet) who arrives in her hometown of Dungatar like a gunslinger: broad-brimmed hat on her head, sleek pumps on her feet, trusty Singer sewing machine at her side. Driven away when she was just ten for supposedly committing a heinous crime, resilient Tilly found her way to Paris, where she trained under legendary designer Madeleine Vionnet.
She has come back home to look after her ailing mother, Molly (Judy Davis), but, with her beguiling, form-fitting dresses, she’s soon turning heads at the town football game — most notably the one atop the broad shoulders of star player Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth).
When Tilly is hired to design and custom-made haute couture for the more rebellious local ladies, a battle line is drawn: on one side, those who luxuriate in Tilly’s progressive style, and, on the other side, Dungatar’s conservative busybody contingent. As tension between these camps escalates, Tilly’s shadowy past becomes her enemies’ most potent weapon — but this fearsome fashionista has resolved to never let Dungatar get the best of her again.
TIFF 2015.
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