Reading Log #5 The Dress Maker ( Complete)

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title: The Dress Maker 

Author/Director:  Jocelyn Moorhouse

Text Type : Visual Text

Date Finished: 26th August

Accused of being a murderer a 10, Tilly returns to her Australian hometown to get revenge on the people that did her wrong.

The main theme that is shown through out the film is revenge, Tilly comes back to her hometown to uncover the secrets of the ‘murder’ and get revenge back on the town people that picked her and her ‘mad’ mother. When Tilly first arrives in Dunnage she steps of the train and says: “I’m back, you bastards.” this quote sets the mood for the movie, it tells us that she’s only there for one thing and she is not going to be understanding or gentle.

This text can be connected with the rest of the world because when Tilly was little she was bullied by most of the school kids and this had a massive impact on her whole life and future. She got sent away for ‘murdering’ a boy who was bullying her physically and mentally every day. This connects to our social world because so many children are still being bullied in school. People may not realise but bullying can have a massive impact on a person’s wellbeing and this can be seen in this film. During the flashbacks, we can see that Tilly is never smiling, she is always running away from the other kids in fear, and she is very quiet and shy. An example of this is when Tilly is standing outside and the kids are playing soccer then one of the children picks up the soccer ball and kicks it away then blames it on Tilly who was just innocently standing there doing nothing. Of course, the kids get angry and start to bully Tilly physically and mentally.

This film teaches us that society is unfair, cruel, mean and unsympathetic. It shows that you can’t trust many people and need to stand up for yourself rathe than wait for others to take action. It also highlights the issue of bullying in school and the effects it can have on a child life. In Tilly’s case, she became a much stronger person from her experience as a young child, because when she returns 20 years later she becomes like the society she grew up in. Although she’s not cruel or unfair, she is unsympathetic, she doesn’t care what others think of her anymore and she is much stronger and  smarter than her fellow class ‘mates’

My viewpoints can relate to this film because I find it very inspiring how Tilly managed to change her attitude and come back to her hometown which caused her so much pain to show them how much stronger she has become, and how much more successful she is compared to everyone else in the town that is still the same as they were 20 years ago.

I would recommend this film because it is quite empowering how Tilly makes so much out of her self when everyone told he that she was worthless and treated her like crap. Now that everyone is older, the town people try to become friends with her to look glamorous and beautiful like Tilly, because this town just competes with its self to be the best and better than everyone else. 

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