Good morning, good gentles! (A period term, if you’re curious.) Are we ready to open our presents? It is, as ever, an interesting assortment—this time around, we range from a couple in the Middle Ages to a couple in space. Obviously, there is everything in between. Our optional theme was “Just One Thing,” and I’m quite curious to see how many people went with that theme and what they did with it.

I personally was given The Dressmaker, which I think will surprise no one to learn has been on my radar for some time. I wasn’t sure what it was about, exactly, but I knew there was sewing involved, and I knew it starred Kate Winslet, and that was good enough for me.

Specifically, she plays Tilly Dunnage. Years ago, Tilly was sent away from her hometown of Dungatar and her mother, Molly (Judy Davis). When she was young and played by Darcey Wilson, she was accused of murdering classmate and bully Stewart Pettyman (Rory Potter); since his father (Shane Bourne) was important, he was able to blackmail Sergeant Farrat (Hugo Weaving), the local lawman—with a penchant for crossdressing—even if there wasn’t sufficient evidence that would stand up in a court out of town. Now, Tilly has come back . . . to find out if she really did it.

Like any good Australian movie, it’s set in a town of wild characters. Tilly is wooed by a lesser Hemsworth. The victim’s mother, Marigold (Alison Whyte), clearly has OCD, possibly tied in to her son’s death. The chemist (Barry Otto) is a religious nut with a hunchback so severe he basically has to be caught when he goes down the street to the bank. He’s refusing to treat his wife (Julia Blake), insisting that her arthritis is a penalty for her sins. There’s the regular assortment of affairs, secrets, and lies.

What Tilly represents is the truth. What caused the death of Stewart Pettyman is the truth that Tilly is most interested in. But she is at the heart of many, many secrets, whether she knows it or not. That’s why she was shipped out of town as a child, before she was old enough to fight back. She believes herself cursed—well, it’s hard to argue, as the movie goes on. But her mother is definitely right inasmuch as the curse is the lies of the town, not Tilly herself.

Genuinely the funniest bit of this movie is the wedding dress Una Pleasance (Sacha Horler) makes for Gertrude (Sarah Snook). There are not many dresses that would make a groom believe that he should call off the wedding, but that’s definitely one of them. However, a close second is when the Hemsworth comes in for a fitting for a suit and Molly very matter-of-factly insists that he’s got to be stripped down in order to be measured properly. Yes, she’s trying to set up her daughter, but also is not going to miss her opportunity to see a stripped-down Hemsworth.

My goodness but you can believe that Tilly has been off working for Balenciaga and so forth during her years away from Dungatar. Really, the costuming is the best part of the movie, and I did like the movie. It’s astounding, therefore, to discover that a different Australian movie won for Best Costume Design that year. (Frankly, I’d give this movie The Revenant‘s place.) What won the Best Costume Design Oscar in 2015 was . . . Mad Max: Fury Road.

So how about all of you? What did you think of yours?