One false note and the whole thing collapses. Typically, scripts are edited and re-edited until your eyes fall out, and then re-edited some more. To draw you in, everything should be plausible and believable: Believable characters, believable storylines, believable situations. This film managed to keep its balls in the air until 1/3 of the way through, when our zaftig, middle-aged heroine waddles into the middle of a rugby game and distracts the players with a cocktail dress. More than likely these men would have been puzzled by the incongruity, not smitten with desire for a woman old enough to be their aunt. Okay, one sour note in the storyline, I guess I can keep watching. Then along comes the playground scene. Tilly begs her schoolmate not to tell where she's hiding. Come on, man. This is a town of not more than thirty people in the middle of nowhere, how in the world can she expect to keep hiding indefinitely? It makes zero sense. You people who automatically rated this film ten stars just because it stars Kate Winslet should have your head examined.

I watched this movie at home as an Amazon streaming offer. I am a Winslet fan, I like everything she does and she is great here.Kate Winslet is adult Tilly Dunnage, returning to her tiny and dusty Australian town after being away for 25 years. In that time she had traveled the world, became an expert dressmaker in Paris, and upon return was the most refined woman in her community.But what happened 25 years ago when she was 10? Local legend has it she had murdered someone, a 10-yr-old classmate, and for that she was sent away. But she didn't have any recollection of that and part of her mission was to find out what really happened.There are lots of good scenes in this movie but there are also a few goofy ones. There are some strange characters, and some of the "normal" characters do some strange things. Like the cross-dressing chief of police or the young men who jump into a grain silo full of mice in the middle of the night.But quirkiness aside the meat of the story, and Tilly's uncovering and remembering what really happened, makes it a worthwhile viewing.

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.

...but in the case of Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet) a few things need to be straightened out.Thus, the stunning Tilly returns to her home in Dungatar, Australia, back to her alcoholic mother (Judy Davis) who acts like she doesn't remember her and is thought of as the town slut, and back to a town that considers Tilly herself a murderer. Tilly cleans her mother's house and throws the woman in a tub, and then tries to find out what happened fifteen years ago that caused her to be sent away. It is believed by the town that she killed Stewart Pettyman when they were both children. Why can't she remember it?Now a designer in Paris, Tilly soon attracts a clientele of local women who love her chic designs. She also attracts Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth), the town hunk.Slowly, Tilly finds out the town's secrets, which include a cross- dressing sheriff (Hugo Weaving). He's the least of it.This is a story of redemption and revenge, deliciously told by director Jocelyn Moorhouse and her dynamite cast. Everyone, including the town's old biddies, are wonderful. Sarah Snook, as the impossibly homely Trudy, gets one of the all-time makeovers and is a sight to behold.A few cultural references that weren't quite right: The film appears to take place in 1950 - Tilly, Teddy, and her mother Molly go to see Sunset Boulevard. However, they listen to the soundtrack of South Pacific from 1958 and OKlahoma from 1955. So when the film takes place is anybody's guess - I didn't read the book.All in all, a mixture of dark comedy and drama that is ultimately satisfying. Tilly proves that revenge is a dish best served cold, even in Australia's hot climate.