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The Dressmaker

 The Dressmaker
type
TVTItem
 The Dressmaker
label
The Dressmaker
 The Dressmaker
page
TheDressmaker
 The Dressmaker
comment
A 2015 Australian film based on the book by Rosalie Ham, starring Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis, and Hugo Weaving.In 1951, Myrtle "Tilly" Dunnage (Kate Winslet) returns to her childhood home of Dungatar in rural Victoria to take care of her elderly mother, known to the town as "Mad Molly" (Judy Davis). She was taken away at ten, accused of a crime she cannot remember, and has since worked in Melbourne, Paris, and London as a highly trained and skilled seamstress. However, the town has not forgotten the murder that she cannot remember. Her sewing skills regain her some favour with the townspeople, but few seem to actively like her. One of the few is Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth), star of the Dungatar football team; another is Sergeant Farrat (Hugo Weaving), the local cop with an interest in fashion.As Tilly settles back into rural life, her relationships and the relationships of those around change and grow, but throughout, she is fearful of a curse that she believes she has, leaving her loved ones in danger and her alone...
 The Dressmaker
fetched
2024-01-31T12:30:43Z
 The Dressmaker
parsed
2024-01-31T12:30:43Z
 The Dressmaker
isPartOf
DBTropes
 The Dressmaker / int_19ebe383
type
Never Trust a Trailer
 The Dressmaker / int_19ebe383
comment
Never Trust a Trailer: Though the film is quite comedic, the trailer does not mention a lot of the drama.
 The Dressmaker / int_19ebe383
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_19ebe383
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_19ebe383
 The Dressmaker / int_1b4e322c
type
Mr. Fanservice
 The Dressmaker / int_1b4e322c
comment
Mr. Fanservice: Teddy, played by Liam Hemsworth, wastes no time stripping down to his underwear to get measured for a suit, showing off his practically perfect body to Tilly and her mother in the process.
 The Dressmaker / int_1b4e322c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_1b4e322c
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The Dressmaker / int_1b4e322c
 The Dressmaker / int_1e584efa
type
Cruel and Unusual Death
 The Dressmaker / int_1e584efa
comment
Cruel and Unusual Death: Ho boy... At least most of those are also Karmic Death: Teddy jumps into a silo to impress Tilly. Unfortunately, the silo was filled that day with sorghum, so he ends up trapped inside and slowly suffocates. When Stewart Pettyman was trying to hurt young Tilly, he ends up ramming his head straight into a brick wall at full running speed, breaking his own neck. Marigold cuts Evan's Achilles tendons. This makes his legs completely useless, while he bleeds to his death, crying for mercy he never had. Percival Almanac drowns in a tiny pond behind his house, unable to stop without his wife's help. While the pond is barely knee-deep and the size of a puddle, he had too many different ailments to get out of it by himself.
 The Dressmaker / int_1e584efa
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1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_1e584efa
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The Dressmaker / int_1e584efa
 The Dressmaker / int_20f689e9
type
Adaptational Villainy
 The Dressmaker / int_20f689e9
comment
Adaptational Villainy: Played with Marigold. Marigold's method of dispatching her cruel and abusive husband is much more gruesome than in the book. On the other hand, it is done in the heat of the moment so it's not like her personality changed much, just what she had available at the moment. Also many would agree that he had it coming for a long time.
 The Dressmaker / int_20f689e9
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1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_20f689e9
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1.0
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The Dressmaker / int_20f689e9
 The Dressmaker / int_237404cc
type
Ironic Echo
 The Dressmaker / int_237404cc
comment
Ironic Echo: Early on, Tilly was trying to feed Molly soup. After Teddy dies and Tilly is too depressed to even eat, Molly starts feeding her and talking about the past. For extra points, the soup looks identical.
 The Dressmaker / int_237404cc
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_237404cc
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1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_237404cc
 The Dressmaker / int_2740531a
type
She Cleans Up Nicely
 The Dressmaker / int_2740531a
comment
She Cleans Up Nicely: Trudy Pratt, and how.
 The Dressmaker / int_2740531a
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_2740531a
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_2740531a
 The Dressmaker / int_27c09b00
type
Camp Straight
 The Dressmaker / int_27c09b00
comment
Camp Straight: Played With in the case of Sergeant Horatio Farrat, who is very flamboyant, but he keeps it in private while performing his duty and acting absolutely normal in public. Evan Pettyman blackmailed him on this in the past. By the end of the story, Farrat decides to take the blame for drug trafficking as a way to both protect Tilly and to compensate for his weakness in the past. When he's arrested, he wears a flashy matador suit, while handling over everyone the drawings Pettyman used to blackmail him, in a final act of defiance against the town's clique.
 The Dressmaker / int_27c09b00
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_27c09b00
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1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_27c09b00
 The Dressmaker / int_28c1d543
type
Defrosting Ice Queen
 The Dressmaker / int_28c1d543
comment
Defrosting Ice Queen: As she develops relationships with a tiny handful of townsfolk, Tilly's icy demeanor melts just a fraction.
 The Dressmaker / int_28c1d543
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_28c1d543
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_28c1d543
 The Dressmaker / int_28f852ea
type
Wholesome Crossdresser
 The Dressmaker / int_28f852ea
comment
Wholesome Crossdresser: Sergeant Farrat, though downplayed. He shows a great interest in fashion and seems to crossdress in private (something Evan Pettyman blackmailed him with), but other than that, he is a fairly normal guy and a dedicated police officer.
 The Dressmaker / int_28f852ea
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_28f852ea
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_28f852ea
 The Dressmaker / int_3ec27f76
type
Costume Porn
 The Dressmaker / int_3ec27f76
comment
Costume Porn: As is expected when the main character is a trained haute couture designer and seamstress.
 The Dressmaker / int_3ec27f76
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_3ec27f76
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_3ec27f76
 The Dressmaker / int_4fe1aa4c
type
Gorgeous Period Dress
 The Dressmaker / int_4fe1aa4c
comment
Gorgeous Period Dress: Despite being set in rural Australia, it still features gorgeous 1950s fashion.
 The Dressmaker / int_4fe1aa4c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_4fe1aa4c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_4fe1aa4c
 The Dressmaker / int_52488c54
type
Drowning My Sorrows
 The Dressmaker / int_52488c54
comment
Drowning My Sorrows: Molly turned to the bottle after Tilly was sent away from the town, eventually turning into a dysfunctional alcoholic and gaining "Mad Molly" nickname. She eventually gets better with the combination of her daughter's care and contempt toward Dungatar's population .
 The Dressmaker / int_52488c54
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_52488c54
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_52488c54
 The Dressmaker / int_59b571c
type
Destroy the Abusive Home
 The Dressmaker / int_59b571c
comment
Destroy the Abusive Home: Tilly was fiercely bullied, falsely accused of murder, and forced to leave Dungatar, and she is shunned and bullied on her return. She sets the entire town on fire. While it was empty it must be said, but the citizens' reactions when they return are absolutely epic.
 The Dressmaker / int_59b571c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_59b571c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_59b571c
 The Dressmaker / int_6a6760fa
type
The Power of Hate
 The Dressmaker / int_6a6760fa
comment
The Power of Hate: Molly was already getting better due to Tilly's return and care, but it's the hate and desire for revenge for all the shit her family had to go through that ultimately brings her back to sanity.
 The Dressmaker / int_6a6760fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_6a6760fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_6a6760fa
 The Dressmaker / int_6a696742
type
The Power of Love
 The Dressmaker / int_6a696742
comment
The Power of Love: Subverted. While love, friendship, and being good is important and initially appear to work for Tilly, they are just not enough to deal with people like the citizens of Dungatar.
 The Dressmaker / int_6a696742
featureApplicability
-0.3
 The Dressmaker / int_6a696742
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_6a696742
 The Dressmaker / int_6bda9a30
type
Meaningful Name
 The Dressmaker / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Quite a few. Evan Pettyman is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. And so was his son. This eventually gets them both killed. Averted with Marigold, who simply carries her husband's surname. Schoolteacher Beula Harridiene is a nosy harridan. As soon as mousy Gertrude Pratt gets a taste of power, she turns into...well, a prat. Even the town, Dungatar, puts the word "dung" right in the name.
 The Dressmaker / int_6bda9a30
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_6bda9a30
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_6bda9a30
 The Dressmaker / int_7188489c
type
Let the Past Burn
 The Dressmaker / int_7188489c
comment
Let the Past Burn: Her lover is dead, her mother is dead, and the only remaining townsperson she got along with has been arrested, so Tilly burns her mother's house alongside her sewing supplies as well as the rest of the town, and then leaves - presumably forever.
 The Dressmaker / int_7188489c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_7188489c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_7188489c
 The Dressmaker / int_7458a1a4
type
Southern Gothic Satan
 The Dressmaker / int_7458a1a4
comment
Southern Gothic Satan: Tilly comes back to the town that tormented her as a child and unjustly blamed her for murder. With her inhuman sewing abilities and TARDIS-like bag that contains infinite material and shoes, she dresses up the town in couture, and by the end of it multiple people are dead, arrested, in asylums, or otherwise ruined, the townfolk are humiliated in the local play competition, and Tilly has burned the town down.
 The Dressmaker / int_7458a1a4
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_7458a1a4
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_7458a1a4
 The Dressmaker / int_7aba8180
type
Job Title
 The Dressmaker / int_7aba8180
comment
Job Title: Tilly's occupation. This initially grants her some respect with the townsfolk. Emphasis on "initially".
 The Dressmaker / int_7aba8180
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_7aba8180
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_7aba8180
 The Dressmaker / int_808cbaeb
type
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
 The Dressmaker / int_808cbaeb
comment
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: "A murderer...and a lesbian."
 The Dressmaker / int_808cbaeb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_808cbaeb
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_808cbaeb
 The Dressmaker / int_8409a385
type
Exactly What It Says on the Tin
 The Dressmaker / int_8409a385
comment
Evan Pettyman is Exactly What It Says on the Tin. And so was his son. This eventually gets them both killed. Averted with Marigold, who simply carries her husband's surname.
 The Dressmaker / int_8409a385
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_8409a385
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_8409a385
 The Dressmaker / int_9a158325
type
Gothic Horror
 The Dressmaker / int_9a158325
comment
Gothic Horror: No supernatural elements, though, unless you count Tilly's belief that she's cursed.
 The Dressmaker / int_9a158325
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_9a158325
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_9a158325
 The Dressmaker / int_a132a4fe
type
Where I Was Born and Razed
 The Dressmaker / int_a132a4fe
comment
Where I Was Born and Razed: Tilly pours petrol throughout her mother's house and on a bolt of fabric she has rolled down to the town, sets the house on fire, and leaves, with the entire town burning in her wake.
 The Dressmaker / int_a132a4fe
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_a132a4fe
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_a132a4fe
 The Dressmaker / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 The Dressmaker / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: Frequently. Teddy and Tilly have consummated their relationship, are talking about getting married and leaving Dungatar forever... and then Teddy jumps into a silo full of sorghum and suffocates. Any time Molly interrupts a seemingly tender moment between Tilly and Teddy. The final act of the film goes back and forth between pure tragedy and pure comedy, often within the same scenes.
 The Dressmaker / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_a4c37cbe
 The Dressmaker / int_a4cd4fc6
type
Cruel Twist Ending
 The Dressmaker / int_a4cd4fc6
comment
Cruel Twist Ending: Tilly has seemingly gained the closure she wanted and seems ready to move on and start a new life with Teddy. Then he dies and, later, so does her mother while Sergeant Farrat, the only other person in town who likes her, allows himself to be arrested to protect her.
 The Dressmaker / int_a4cd4fc6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_a4cd4fc6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_a4cd4fc6
 The Dressmaker / int_a9de87d2
type
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass
 The Dressmaker / int_a9de87d2
comment
Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Molly, Tilly's mother, turns out to be absolutely brilliant when she's finally sober and pissed off. She sets up a masterful plan to make the entire town of Dungatar pay for what they did and who they are.
 The Dressmaker / int_a9de87d2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_a9de87d2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_a9de87d2
 The Dressmaker / int_b1346878
type
Fate Worse than Death
 The Dressmaker / int_b1346878
comment
Fate Worse than Death: Of the primary culprits only Beulah survives the whole chain of revelations. Which makes her even more unlucky, since she will likely live for quite a few years blinded and spend the rest of her miserable days, crippled and trapped in a sanatorium. She has been so vile that it still feels like a fitting punishment.
 The Dressmaker / int_b1346878
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_b1346878
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_b1346878
 The Dressmaker / int_b1c8e04e
type
Marital Rape License
 The Dressmaker / int_b1c8e04e
comment
Marital Rape License: Evan Pettyman gives his wife Marigold a tonic to "help her sleep" and proceeds to penetrate her after making sure she passes out.
 The Dressmaker / int_b1c8e04e
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_b1c8e04e
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_b1c8e04e
 The Dressmaker / int_c83a589c
type
Luke, I Am Your Father
 The Dressmaker / int_c83a589c
comment
Luke, I Am Your Father: Evan Pettyman is Tilly's father.
 The Dressmaker / int_c83a589c
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_c83a589c
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_c83a589c
 The Dressmaker / int_cd8aa3e8
type
Smoking Is Glamorous
 The Dressmaker / int_cd8aa3e8
comment
Smoking Is Glamorous: Despite her being almost a chain smoker, it's played straight with Tilly.
 The Dressmaker / int_cd8aa3e8
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_cd8aa3e8
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_cd8aa3e8
 The Dressmaker / int_d50a5478
type
Unlimited Wardrobe
 The Dressmaker / int_d50a5478
comment
Unlimited Wardrobe: Tilly apparently has also unlimited storage for it, too. It reaches comedic levels early on when her single suitcase couldn't carry even the shoes she wears at this point of the story, not to mention her clothes.
 The Dressmaker / int_d50a5478
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_d50a5478
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_d50a5478
 The Dressmaker / int_d73e0f7f
type
"Ray of Hope" Ending
 The Dressmaker / int_d73e0f7f
comment
"Ray of Hope" Ending: Tilly's mother and lover are both dead, but she has sought revenge on the town that mistreated her. It is left open whether she will find happiness in the future but getting closure was a start.
 The Dressmaker / int_d73e0f7f
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_d73e0f7f
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_d73e0f7f
 The Dressmaker / int_e39affdb
type
Evil Makeover
 The Dressmaker / int_e39affdb
comment
Evil Makeover: Tilly returns for revenge, dressed to the nines.
 The Dressmaker / int_e39affdb
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_e39affdb
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_e39affdb
 The Dressmaker / int_e906fcc0
type
1-Dimensional Thinking
 The Dressmaker / int_e906fcc0
comment
1-Dimensional Thinking: Averted with Tilly, who moved out of the way when Stewart planted her against a brick wall intending to directly headbutt her. This caused him to break his neck upon missing and hitting the wall.
 The Dressmaker / int_e906fcc0
featureApplicability
-1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_e906fcc0
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_e906fcc0
 The Dressmaker / int_eb8f64a6
type
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
 The Dressmaker / int_eb8f64a6
comment
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Everyone who eventually sided with Tilly ends up dead (Teddy, her mother, though not as a result of siding with her) or in prison (Sergeant Farrat which was more of a sacrifice as a way of atoning for his past failures).
 The Dressmaker / int_eb8f64a6
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_eb8f64a6
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_eb8f64a6
 The Dressmaker / int_f10d3363
type
Distracted by the Sexy
 The Dressmaker / int_f10d3363
comment
Distracted by the Sexy: During a football game, Myrtle removes her scarf and gloves to show more skin and distract players.
 The Dressmaker / int_f10d3363
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_f10d3363
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_f10d3363
 The Dressmaker / int_f97b5d33
type
Shoo Out the Clowns
 The Dressmaker / int_f97b5d33
comment
Shoo Out the Clowns: The film progressively gets less and less funny, until it turns into straight-out tragedy... after which it turns into really Black Comedy in the final act.
 The Dressmaker / int_f97b5d33
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_f97b5d33
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_f97b5d33
 The Dressmaker / int_f9cf12b2
type
Love Cannot Overcome
 The Dressmaker / int_f9cf12b2
comment
Love Cannot Overcome: Tilly develops a relationship with Teddy, and it appears that their love may be enough to allow her to accept happiness and give up her plans for revenge. It's not.
 The Dressmaker / int_f9cf12b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_f9cf12b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_f9cf12b2
 The Dressmaker / int_fb3576b2
type
The Dog Bites Back
 The Dressmaker / int_fb3576b2
comment
The Dog Bites Back: The entire premise of the story is Tilly's return to her rural town and making sure everyone who wronged her or mistreated her mother suffers. Boy, they suffer...
 The Dressmaker / int_fb3576b2
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_fb3576b2
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_fb3576b2
 The Dressmaker / int_fe64d5a1
type
Evil Is Petty
 The Dressmaker / int_fe64d5a1
comment
Evil Is Petty: While some people from Dungatar never actively do anything truly heinous, most of them are just sickeningly evil, precisely due to how petty their actions are. Evan Pettyman, one of the worst, even has a fitting surname.
 The Dressmaker / int_fe64d5a1
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_fe64d5a1
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Dressmaker / int_fe64d5a1
 The Dressmaker / int_name
type
ItemName
 The Dressmaker / int_name
comment
 The Dressmaker / int_name
featureApplicability
1.0
 The Dressmaker / int_name
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Dressmaker
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The Dressmaker / int_name
 The Dressmaker / int_name
itemName
The Dressmaker

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
Definite Article Title / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
Destroy the Abusive Home / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
Films of 2015–2019 / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
Job Title / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
Southern Gothic Satan / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Fashionista / int_db339684
 The Dressmaker
hasFeature
The Tall Dark Stranger / int_db339684