Cinematic Techniques In The Dressmaker

The Dressmaker is a film based on the novel by Rosalie Ham and directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse that portrays the morals of the people living in the community of Dungatar in the rural Australia. The film mainly engages with the themes of bullying, isolation and grief and loss. The director’s unique and distinctive visual style that has focused on the strongest aspects of the conservative society of the countryside in the 1950’s explores the lives of people settled there. Moorhouse has used cinematic techniques of symbolism, cinematography and sound effects in the film to enhance the audience’s engagement.

The character’s demeanour changes the entire atmosphere of the movie due to experiencing serious trauma through bullying in childhood. The

Moorhouse has portrayed the character’s facial expressions efficiently throughout the film with the use of effective camera angles that engages the audience. The atmosphere of the film entirely changes from contented to gloomy due to sudden Teddy’s sudden death. A close up shot was used to capture the sadness and heartbreak on Tilly’s face as she held teddy’s hand while cleaned his body for his funeral. The use of slow instrumental music featuring violin and piano enhanced the facial expressions of the character and helped the audience to empathize with her. Moorhouse uses a medium close up shot that framed the teacher and Marigold Pettyman in a scene when Marigold discovers the truth about Tilly being the reason behind her son’s death “You think your little boy fell of the tree? Wrong…” The shot helps the audience to evidently comprehend the pain and sorrow on her face after finding the shocking truth about her son’s death. Emphasise on the theme of grief and loss was prolonged when Molly collapses on the road due to suffering from a stroke. A high angle shot is used as Molly laid on the floor in the doctor’s office to demonstrate the pain she was suffering through. The scene effectively portrays Tilly’s love for her mother as she tightly held her hand and kissed her forehead while soft piano music played in the background serenading the audience to strongly stay connected to the characters. The following scene used a close up shot to focus on Tilly’s facial expressions to determine the audience of the fear she felt of losing her mother after being apart from her for so many