The Dressmaker (1988)

The Dressmaker: Directed by Jim O’Brien. With Joan Plowright, Billie Whitelaw, Pete Postlethwaite, Jane Horrocks. In England during World War II, a repressed dressmaker and her sister struggle looking after their seventeen-year-old niece, who is having a delusional affair with an American soldier.

“I know a film is powerful when I find myself talking out loud to the characters. This was the case with The Dressmaker. The four main characters: Rita, Margo, Nellie and Jack, each had an intense character to play and did so with great acting. And, the script itself gave them a great vehicle in which to display their considerable skills.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI found myself thinking about something I was taught when writing a filmscript: a main goal of the script is to produce emotion, both in the characters and in the viewers. This film did so in spades. The plot had enough going in it, including the relationships between the main four, to produce intense feelings. Enough so I was compelled to try and tell them what to do or think or say.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe ending was both unexpected and satisfying in a odd way. Having a satisfying ending was a relief after such tension.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you want to watch a great drama about both familial relationships and their interactions with world events (WWII) donu0026#39;t miss this film.”