The trailer for The Dressmaker—adapted from the novel by Rosalie Ham—tells the story of a local girl done good who was banished for doing something very bad at young age. Kate Winslet stars as Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage, a successful fashion designer in the ’50s who returns to her Australian hometown to look after her shut-in mother, Molly (Judy Davis).
Molly and the town’s other residents are initially incensed by Tilly’s arrival because, according to local legend (i.e., town gossip) she was responsible for the death of a local boy at the age of 10. Now a cosmopolitan woman, Tilly sets about taking revenge on the people who ruined her childhood by showing off her form-fitting couture and multiple cigarette holders.
Tilly switches tactics after transforming the town’s wallflower (Steve Jobs’ Sarah Snook) into “the most striking woman in the room,” deciding to make over the townspeople in an effort to change their opinion of her. She even outfits local lawman Sergeant Farrat (Weaving) in a bespoke matador’s costume and a hat fit for Ascot (though it’s nowhere near as elaborate as this). But Tilly doesn’t have to work nearly as hard to win over Teddy (Liam Hemsworth), who flirts with her in and out of his footy (or is that rugby?) jersey.
The Dressmaker was directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, who previously worked with Weaving on 1991’s Proof. It’s expected to hit theaters this October.