The Dressmaker (2015)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A couture-trained dressmaker returns to her rural hometown to care for her mother and faces the ghosts of her past.
The story
In 1926, young Myrtle Dunnage is blamed for a death in the fictional outback town of Dungatar and is sent away. Twenty-five years later, she returns to the town as 'Tilly' to care for her mentally unstable mother. As a skilled dressmaker, her presence and striking fashion choices begin to captivate the local community. While she seeks to navigate her past and the truth of the events that led to her exile, she finds herself entangled in the local social fabric, creating a stir among the townspeople while attempting to reconcile her identity and the secrets she carries.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1926, Myrtle Dunnage is blamed for the death of Stewart Pettyman in the town of Dungatar and is sent away. In 1951, she returns as 'Tilly,' a skilled dressmaker. She discovers her mother, Molly, is mentally ill and lives in squalor. Tilly's presence and couture dresses captivate the town, leading to a flurry of commissions and a budding romance with Teddy McSwiney. She learns from a local woman, Gertrude Pratt, that the truth of Stewart's death is hidden. She also discovers that the local policeman, Sergeant Horatio Farrat, is a cross-dresser. As she uncovers more secrets, including the fact that her father is a local official, she confronts the town's prejudices. After a series of events, including the death of Teddy and the realization of the truth about the 1926 incident, Tilly realizes she is no longer cursed. She sets fire to her house, causing the town of Dungatar to become a ruin, and departs for Paris.
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 118
- Production countries
- Australia; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jocelyn Moorhouse
- Writers
- Jocelyn Moorhouse · co-written; P. J. Hogan · co-written
- Cast and characters
- Kate Winslet · Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage; Judy Davis · Molly Dunnage; Liam Hemsworth · Teddy McSwiney; Hugo Weaving · Sergeant Horatio Farrat; Sarah Snook · Gertrude 'Trudy' Pratt; Sacha Horler · Una Pleasance; Caroline Goodall · Elsbeth Beaumont; James Mackay · William Beaumont
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- revenge; creativity
- Tone and mood
- comedy; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- revenge; fashion
- Source material / true-story basis
- the 2000 novel of the same title by Rosalie Ham
- Reception
- The film received mixed critical reviews, with praise for Kate Winslet's performance and criticism regarding its uneven tone.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 58% · scale: percentage · review count: 140; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 27
- Awards and nominations
- AACTA Award · Best Lead Actress · Won; AACTA Award · Best Supporting Actress · Won; AACTA Award · Best Supporting Actor · Won; AACTA Award · Best Costume Design · Won; AACTA Award · People's Choice Award for Favourite Australian Film · Won; AACTA Award · Best Film · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Direction · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Production Design · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Original Music Score · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Sound · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Editing · Nominated; AACTA Award · Best Cinematography · Nominated; AACTA International Award · Best Supporting Actress · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was described by Moorhouse as 'Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven with a sewing machine'.; The film's production included a scene with an emu named 'Elvis'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…